Jordan Clarkson has no plans to leave the Los Angeles Lakers this summer.
As he said at exit interviews, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
Jordan Clarkson on restricted free agency: "I feel confident I'll be back here. I want to be here."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 14, 2016
It’s good that Clarkson wants to remain in Hollywood, but it’s not necessarily his decision. He will be a restricted free agent, and while he is able to shop around, the Lakers have the right to match any offer he receives. If they want to retain him, they will retain him.
And they’re probably going to retain him.
Along with D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson is one of the Lakers’ few legitimate cornerstones. They should be able to pick up another in the draft, assuming they remain within the top three of the lottery, but he is the closest thing to a known future commodity that they have. He can play either guard position and should be able to exist for long stretches off the ball in the long run, making it easier for him to complement Russell.
Another team could always swoop in with a ridiculous offer the Lakers cannot reasonably match. Big contracts will be floating around this summer as the salary cap explodes.
More likely than not, though, Jordan Clarkson will get his wish and stick with the Lakers. Even if it involves overpaying him, Los Angeles, short of signing two incumbent superstars, cannot find a good enough reason to let him walk.
