Top Knicks trade target reportedly open to making move to New York

The buildup to the 2024 NBA trade deadline has been a roller coaster for New York Knicks fans. There isn't a superstar available, but New York could acquire a player or two to boost the team's depth for what will hopefully be a deep playoff run.

The Knicks have been linked to several players recently, which isn't unusual. There are a few different directions New York could take, but don't expect the front office to stand pat at the deadline, especially with Julius Randle being out for at least a few weeks.

Jordan Clarkson is one of the players who has repeatedly come up in rumors. The Knicks need another ball handler and scoring punch off the bench, and Clarkson is that player. He's averaging 17.5 points and 4.9 assists per game with the Jazz this season, shooting 41.7% from the field.

Utah's beat writer for The Athletic, Tony Jones, was a guest on ESPN's 700 The Drive with Spence Checketts. Jones was asked how Clarkson would feel about a trade to New York, to which he said:

"I can tell you just from my conversations with people around the situation, I think that Jordan [Clarkson] would welcome a trade [to the Knicks] if that’s how it would go down. There’s another team out west he would welcome a trade to. I'm not going to say the name of that team and the reason why I'm not going to say the name of that team is because there’s very little chance of that trade happening."

- Tony Jones, Jazz beat writer

Jazz beat writer believes Jordan Clarkson would "welcome" a Knicks trade

To be clear, it doesn't necessarily matter how Clarkson feels about a trade. Utah's priority is getting the most in return for the former Sixth Man of the Year, something Danny Ainge specializes in. It does certainly help that if the Knicks trade for Clarkson, he'd be open to it.

Anyway, why wouldn't Clarkson want to be traded to NYC? He'd go from a Play-In Tournament team in the West to a top team in the East. He'd join the most exciting Knicks team in years and get to call MSG home. It's hard to think he'd be against that.

Along with Clarkson, New York has reportedly expressed interest in Kelly Olynyk. Maybe that duo will go from the Jazz to the Knicks sometime in the next two days. Perhaps it'll only be Clarkson. Or, maybe it'll be neither. Stay tuned!