By Ed Diokno
The LA Lakers were not going to lose the player that could potentially become a future NBA star. They resigned Afro Filipino American Jordan Clarkson Friday to a whopping four-year, $50 million contract — not bad for someone who has played just two years.
The second-round pick out of Missouri in 2014, Clarkson earned only $845,000 last year.
With Jeremy Lin gone and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant playing sparingly in his final season, Clarkson was able to bloom and sharpen his basketball skills in his breakout season.
He’s shown the versatility to play point guard or shooting guard. Clarkson averaged 15.5 points, four rebounds and 2.4 assists and shot 34.7 percent from three-point range in his second season
The 6′ 5″ Clarkson demonstrated his versatility by handling multiple roles and that made Clarkson an attractive option for teams this summer. “Clarkson is a versatile scorer and combo guard,” wrote Matt Moore of CBSSports.com in May. “He can run the offense or create his own shot and is only 24.”
After hearing about the hiring of former Golden State Warriors assistant Luke Walton to become the Lakers’ head coach, Clarkson could barely contain his excitement.“That style of play fits me, as well as the other guys. I definitely want to stay here in L.A. and be here. I said in my exit interview, I don’t want to be that guy who bounces around from team to team.“I want to be here in L.A. — a place where I can call home — and leave a legacy. The (Luke Walton) hiring makes it even better.”
