Kevin Love and Darius Garland offered congratulations to former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jordan Clarkson after he was named this season’s winner of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Clarkson was acquired by the Cavaliers in February 2018 as part of the huge trade deadline deal that also brought Larry Nance Jr.
With the Cavaliers facing the prospect of losing Clarkson in free agency, he was traded to the Utah Jazz in December 2019 in exchange for Dante Exum and a pair of future draft picks.
During the 2020-21 season, Clarkson saw action in 68 regular season contests for the Jazz, coming off the bench in all but one of those games.
For the year, Clarkson averaged 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and helped the Jazz finish with the best regular season record at 52-20.
Though Garland and Clarkson only played together for a couple of months in Cleveland, it looks as thought the two have a close relationship. Garland put in a fantastic sophomore season this year, and he looks to be shaping into the kind of player the Cavs envisioned when they selected him in 2019.
Love was with Clarkson during his entire stint with the Cavs. More recently, the veteran has continued to be plagued by injuries. Love hopes to fashion a comeback next season, the third year of his massive-four year contract with the Cavs.
