3 free agent guards Raptors could sign to replace Gary Trent Jr.

1. Jordan Clarkson, Utah Jazz

A player who has averaged 20.8 points per game is likely to command a sizeable contract if he decides to decline his player option. With Clarkson having a career year as a starter and the Jazz very clearly showing they are still in rebuild mode, he could look to ply his trade elsewhere.

I won’t be breaking any news to anyone when I state that Clarkson’s defense is bad. That has never been a hallmark of his game, and he is likely not going to start becoming prime Michael Jordan on that end anytime soon. Still, his creativity in the half-court is needed on this Toronto team in the worst way possible.

Can the Toronto Raptors land Jordan Clarkson?

Clarkson is admittedly only coming to town if the Raptors are willing to pay top dollar for a player that is in the same tier as Trent and lose all apprehension about potentially dipping into the luxury tax even more. It would be a bit of a philosophical change, but drastic times might call for something like this.

If Clarkson returns to Utah, he will almost assuredly be sued as trade bait at the deadline. Why not beat the Jazz to the punch by getting to pick your own destination and securing generational wealth once more by coming up north to the Raptors?