Of the mix that the Los Angeles Lakers have right now, the brightest and perhaps most consistent player the team would want to weigh on is perhaps Jordan Clarkson.
The sophomore player is the second leading scorer for the Lakers and continues to improve the longer he is given the opportunity to strut his wares. Injuries have tried to slow him down but the bottom line is that Clarkson is one of the players expected to get a big pay raise soon.
Without a doubt, the Lakers will do well to keep Clarkson at all cost. But how does the team go about it? There are scenarios which the Lakers can turn to, economical ones that could save the team the headache of having to determine his true worth.
By the end of the season, Clarkson will become a restricted free agent and the Lakers can offer him up to $6 million and $26.7 million for the next four years, as cited by the LA Times.
The figures don't seem big for now, but with the Lakers holding the "Gilbert Arenas" rule, such limits what other teams can offer the Filipino-American guard. Teams can offer Clarkson up to only $5.6 million for next season; the fact remains that the Lakers can easily match any offer dangled at Clarkson.
Even though the numbers don't seem to be far apart, there are savings. Hence, it may be best for the Lakers to see what other teams offer Clarkson.
But that is if the Lakers are not sold on locking up Clarkson. He is the sole bright spot next to Kobe Bryant right now, and no one knows if Clarkson would decide to jump ship for some reason, which may not be financially-related.
To date, there is no team that seems to be showing interest in Clarkson (at least not yet). For the Lakers, it may all be about the numbers game. Will they lock him up or wait for offer sheets to come flying in?
