In the first few hours of free agency, the New York Knicks might have landed a bargain. One that they would not have expected as recently as a few hours ago.
Chris Haynes was the first to report that the Knicks would be signing Jordan Clarkson, most recently of the Utah Jazz, as soon as he clears waivers. News of Utah’s decision to waive Clarkson came merely hours before the free agency window opened – seemingly, the buyout was agreed upon knowing that Clarkson would soon be snapped up.
Jordan Clarkson, Scoring Infusion
The Jazz’s main motivation for buying out Clarkson was the same for why they traded Collin Sexton to the Charlotte Hornets the day before free agency started. Simply put, they do not want to win too many games, because to do so would cost them a high draft pick that they sorely need to improve their ceiling for the future. And on his day, Jordan Clarkson is a game winner.
Clarkson will join the Knicks after a season in which, in only 26.0 minutes per game, he averaged 16.2 points, 3.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game, numbers that were almost identical to his career averages. A dip in his efficiency spoke to the limitations of the Jazz team around him and the need to create the majority of his own offence, yet lest there were any doubt – Clarkson, the winner of the NBA’s 2020-21 Sixth Man of the Year award, is a fearless and talented NBA scorer.
The cause for concern from last season’s play stems not so much from what he did, but from how often he was able to do it. Clarkson played only 37 contests in 2024-25, continuing a streak of four consecutive seasons of progressively fewer games played, and the man who rarely missed a game over his first eight years in the league is starting to slow down a little bit. As a 32-year-old guard with 11 years of NBA experience and more than 750 games on his clock, that is to be expected. Yet it does mean the Knicks should not expect to overly rely on someone whose hardiness is becoming an ongoing concern.
The good news, though, is that Clarkson is here to be a back-up. Unless something goes horribly wrong, the Knicks will not need to rely on him. They have Jalen Brunson for that.
Knicks Still Limited In What They Can Do
News of the amount of salary that the Knicks will be paying Clarkson was not immediately available. However, given their substantial payroll – and the resultant second apron concerns it brings about – the minimum salary seems like the logical price point.
Indeed, it might be the only price point that is possible. The Knicks’ apron pressure has already said to have cost them a quality reserve in Precious Achiuwa, and the mid-level exception has been essentially rendered unusable this season. It took a lot of financial finagling – and a very generous discount taken by Brunson – to assemble the front six that they have, and the minimum salary is, functionally, their only free agency tool this summer.
On the plus side, the Knicks can now use what little money they have left to spend elsewhere on the roster. While the signing of Clarkson does not necessarily prohibit the Knicks from continue to pursue their reported interest in Russell Westbrook, a healthy Clarkson negates the need for him. A healthy Clarkson can be a game-winner.
Clarkson’s tendency to over-dribble, and his at-times questionable shot selection, combine with historically limited defence to make for a player who needs to score to succeed. If the foot injury that cost him half of last season lingers, and he loses any of his agility, that scoring will diminish further. Nevertheless, for twelve years, Clarkson has been the kind of potent, obstinate, talented bench scorer that every team could stand to benefit from, including the Knicks.
This is a very different type of point guard to Ryan Arcidiacono, and that is by design. Tom Thibodeau is gone now; let the orange palms commence.
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