• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Roster
  • Schedule
  • Forum Blue?
  • About Forum Blue & Gold
    • About FB&G
    • Forum Blue?
    • New Hoops Stats 101
    • Commenting Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Support FB&G

Forum Blue And Gold

A Lakers Blog. Thoughts, reflections, and the odd rant on the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA (even the Clippers).

  • Lakers News
  • Lakers Analysis
  • Laker Film Room
  • Cranjis’ Corner
  • Lakers Data
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Lakers Come to Contract Agreement with Jordan Clarkson

July 1, 2016 by Darius Soriano


Unlike past seasons, the Lakers have wasted no time in free agency this summer. After reportedly agreeing to a contract with Cavs big man Timofey Mozgov for 4 year, $64 million contract, the team took care of one of their own free agents late last night.

Jordan Clarkson has reached agreement on a four-year, $50M deal to return to the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell The Vertical.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2016

There was a question among observers on whether the Lakers would use Clarkson’s Arenas Rule eligibility as a way to advantage his free agent status and preserve some short-term cap space, but they have decided not to extend things out and just sign him outright. There will be no telling Clarkson to determine his market value with other teams or to even sign an offer-sheet.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach, for sure. On the plus side, the Lakers avoid the potential for any perceived “disrespect”. They clearly want Clarkson back and the best way to express that is to negotiate in earnest, not let another team woo him. Also, signing Clarkson themselves eliminates the potential for a team to try putting balloon payment(s) in years 3 and/or 4 of his contract and using the mechanics of an Arenas Rule offer-sheet to potentially force the Lakers into paying upwards of $20 million a year in the final seasons of this deal.

This type of cost certainty is valuable and makes navigating the salary cap in future seasons more predictable. The Lakers now do not have to worry about a huge jump in pay in a season when the cap is expected to flatten or, as some expect, even decline. Sam Amick of USA Today reported this was a potential concern for the Lakers.

On the other side of this equation, the Lakers have diminished their spending power for this and next summer. Signing Clarkson was always going to take up cap space (in both summers), but if he would have signed an offer-sheet with another team, the most his salary could have been in the first two years of the deal was about $5.6 then $5.9 million. The Lakers will (potentially) pay him double that, depending on the exact terms of his contract’s yearly breakdown.

Finding a way to leverage the Arenas rule to maximize spending flexibility was a tactic many endorsed (including myself). Maybe the team did not want the potential headache of that arrangement. Or maybe eliminating the potential of a big jump in his salary really did concern. But in a spending environment which will be competitive over the next two summers, having that extra juice may have helped them.

Of course, those are all hypotheticals. The Lakers went for the sure thing and have their guy. I have critiqued some parts of Clarkson’s game which need improving (specifically his defense and his need to still be a playmaker for others), but he’s an emerging player who has improved his outside shooting and a workaholic in the gym. He has good chemistry with the core of young players the Lakers have assembled. He wants to be a great player and wants to do so in Los Angeles for the Lakers.

These are all positives and I am happy to have him back. The terms of his contract are reasonable and if he follows even a conservative development arc, his contract will represent a really nice value when the cap jumps again next season and then flattens out at near $110 million. All in all, then, this is a good deal for the Lakers.


Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. FredP says

    July 1, 2016 at 9:09 am

    This signing makes a of sense since the super buddies are off the table.  Once the Lakers became also-rans for Durant and Whiteside, they did not need to keep their cap space free.  Clarkson’s total salary is roughly what he would have been offered by another team and years 3 and 4 are going to look like bargains.  The free agent period is off to a solid start.

  2. Mid Wilshire says

    July 1, 2016 at 9:51 am

    This is a good deal all the way around.  It sends a positive message to JC and his other buddies on the team.  Congratulations to Jordan Clarkson on a nice pay day.  It’s been well earned.

  3. KevTheBold says

    July 1, 2016 at 10:02 am

    Welcome back Jordan !!

    On another note, is anyone else having problems posting a message on this new system with android?

    I can only post on my pc.

  4. Travis Y says

    July 1, 2016 at 10:06 am

    Great job to the front office for locking Clarkson in on a very reasonable deal. 

    We have about $30-32 million left to spend, thus I’d rank the team’s needs in the following order: 
    1. Perimeter defense 
    2. Outside shooting
    3. Veteran leadership
    4. Athleticism

    Thus, my wish list would be in the following order:

    Ryan Anderson
    Evan Turner
    Alan Crabbe
    Meyers Leonard

  5. Vasheed says

    July 1, 2016 at 10:34 am

    Really the only reason to let another team first give Clarkson an offer first (arenas rule) was if the Lakers needed to fit every dollar they could in now.  Without guys like Durant showing any interest this was the right route to go.

  6. BigCitySid10552 says

    July 1, 2016 at 10:55 am

    – Best Laker news since the draft
    – In other Laker news, they just announced their summer league roster

  7. Shaunis007 says

    July 1, 2016 at 11:04 am

    i gotta say im pretty intrigued by zach aguste … thought he played well at notre dame, thpught he was coming out next year

  8. BigCitySid10552 says

    July 1, 2016 at 11:09 am

    – Finally, Lakers announce Introductory press conference for Lakers 2016 draft picks https://twitter.com/B_Ingram13 and https://twitter.com/ivicazubac will be held on Tuesday 7/5 at 2:30pm PT.

  9. CHearn says

    July 1, 2016 at 2:52 pm

    Yes!

    Welcome, home Jordan Clarkson!

  10. RobertBass says

    July 1, 2016 at 3:01 pm

    Turner is gone we still need a starting caliber center that moxgu kid ranked one spot ahead of Hibbert last season’s center effectiveness ratings or whatever they are called

  11. Busboys4me says

    July 2, 2016 at 2:50 am

    I can only post using the desktop function at the bottom of the page. iPhone 6plus.

Primary Sidebar

laker-film-room-podcast
Tweets by @forumbluegold

Archives

Categories

Donate to FB&G

Footer

© 2023 Forum Blue & Gold · Partner with USA Today Sports Digital Properties · WordPress Support by WP Site Care