Jordan Clarkson is having a pretty good year. As one of the holdovers in Utah after Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were shipped out during the offseason, Clarkson has gone from a sixth man to a starter. Since that change, Clarkson’s upped his scoring to 19.5 points per game, an increase from his career average of 15.6 points, and he’s one of the reasons the “rebuilding” Jazz find themselves in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 17-14 record.

Clarkson’s most recent game saw him drop 39 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals on the New Orleans Pelicans, who have been one of the powerhouses of the Western Conference this season. He made 15 of 26 shots including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc. He’s the type of scorer that could be highly valued by a contender, and there’s no doubt that he’s on the radar of a number of title contenders this season.

He’s also tied to quite a favorable contract, which pays him $13.34 million this season and then has a player option for $14.26 million next season. Should he be traded to one of the league’s top teams, he might have a chance to help them make a deep run and set himself up to opt out and negotiate a great new contract next offseason.

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Clarkson isn’t a perfect player by any means, especially on the defensive end of things, but he’s clearly got the ability to score and has a lack of fear of taking shots in big moments. Even if he went to a contender and ended up coming off the bench again, he can provide the kind of scoring punch that would allow starters to get extra rest. He’s even shown that he can score 40 or more points off the bench, such as when he dropped a career-high 45 against the Sacramento Kings last March.

One thing that may stand in the way is Jazz GM Danny Ainge, who doesn’t have too much of a habit of making midseason trades. However, with Clarkson’s ability to opt out of his contract, it may make the most sense to move him before the February deadline. If he keeps having big games, Ainge might just have to bite the bullet and move Clarkson when he has the most value.