Jordan Clarkson Reportedly to Re-Sign with Lakers: Contract Details, Reaction

Being a restricted free agent wasn't going to entice Jordan Clarkson to leave the only NBA team he's ever played for, as the versatile guard reportedly re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. 

Shams Charania of The Vertical was the first to report that Clarkson signed a four-year, $50 million deal to remain in L.A. Greg Beacham of the Associated Press later confirmed the report.

Clarkson's surprise breakout performance was lost in the morass of Los Angeles' struggles dating back to the 2013-14 season. 

A second-round pick out of Missouri in 2014, Clarkson has been a valuable contributor. He's shown the versatility to play point guard or shooting guard, increased his scoring output from 11.9 points per game in 2014-15 to 15.5 points per game last season and showed good range with his shot by hitting 34.7 percent from three-point range in 2015-16.

That ability to handle multiple roles is what 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. The only problem is trying to peel away how much of the Lakers struggles he contributed to and how many impacted him."

Factor in that Clarkson is a rare free agent who has upside and doesn't have enough leverage to seek a max contract despite all of the new money coming into the NBA, and suddenly, he looks like one of the best second-tier players available this summer. 

There are limitations to Clarkson's game he'll have to address if he hopes to reach his full potential. His defense is lacking, as he's been worth a total of 0.8 win shares on that side of the ball through two seasons, per Basketball-Reference.com. 

After the Lakers' season concluded, Clarkson acknowledged his effort on defense needed to improve, per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: “I was horrible on the defensive end this year. It’s somewhere I have to make strides.”

The Lakers are building around a young crop of talented players still finding their identity in the NBA. Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell and Julius Randle have to help lead this franchise back to prominence, making Clarkson's extension an easy call for the front office.

Los Angeles' turnaround isn't going to happen overnight. But Clarkson has been a bright spot for the Lakers since he arrived two years ago, and his ceiling is a major reason why they should finally be optimistic about where they are headed.