Unlike a year prior, Jordan Clarkson’s free agency included no buyouts or last-minute calls.
He experienced the Knicks and wanted more of that.
“It was pretty chill, honestly,” Clarkson said of his summer. “I knew I wanted to come back here, so it was easy.”
No other meetings or offers were considered by Clarkson or his representative, Rich Paul.
“We really didn’t listen to anything else,” the guard said. “I told my agent and everybody that I wanted to come back here, and if the money situation worked out, I wanted to come back. Not do anything else.”
It worked out for a second straight year, as the unrestricted free agent signed a veteran-minimum deal with the Knicks. In 2025, he first had to negotiate a buyout with the Utah Jazz and agreed to the Knicks deal while attending Wimbledon. There were alternatives back then.
This time, Clarkson’s one-year, $3.9 million deal arrived later in free agency — July 9 — but without much surprise.
The Knicks, according to sources, appreciated his locker-room presence. Even if Clarkson doesn’t play, he’s encouraging his teammates, getting along with everybody, going with the flow.
That’s not always the case with veterans who are suddenly faced with dips in opportunities — especially those with Clarkson’s resume.
He ranks seventh in the NBA in all-time bench points and needs just 39 more to surpass No. 6 Thurl Bailey.
Sacrificing with grace will probably be important again this season for Clarkson, who is part of a crowded backcourt with no guarantee of playing time.
Barring a trade, the Knicks have Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado and Miles McBride above Clarkson on the depth chart.
But Clarkson can separate himself as a longer body — he’s 6-foot-5 — who can press the ball handler on defense and sometimes create a shot for himself.
The big difference, as Clarkson noted, is a clearer understanding of his fit.
Whereas a year ago Clarkson was being sold a volume-scoring role off the bench, the 34-year-old now understands his path to playing time is geared toward defense and rebounding.
It took a benching to understand that last year. Now he’s ready.
“I know it’s not my regular role that I’ve played before I got here,” Clarkson said. “But it’s something I’ve fallen in love with, and I love playing my role and playing for this team and playing for each other. I think that was the biggest thing last year that I’ve learned.”
Per 36 minutes, Clarkson averaged his fewest points and field goal attempts since he was a rookie in 2014-15.
Defense was never part of Clarkson’s reputation — if anything, he was considered a negative on that side of the floor — but a transformation turned him into a rotational piece of an NBA champion.
Clarkson liked it so much he wants to do it again — even after averaging career lows in minutes, points and shot attempts.
“For us, it’s not about numbers. It’s all about winning the game and doing anything to win the game,” Clarkson said. “And I think a lot of us put things behind us to make that common goal happen.
“And that’s from the coaching staff to everybody down the line. I think we all got to understand on what it means to be a part of this team and a part of the Knicks. So I think that’s been set, and that’s why I wanted to come back. I love the standard. I love the culture here.”
