Los Angeles Lakers Trade Rumors: Jordan Clarkson Says He Wants to Stay With the Lakers

May 31, 2016 10:48 AM EDT

Once this season ends, Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Jordan Clarkson will become a restricted free agent. But if it were up to him, he would like to continue playing with the Los Angeles franchise.

The Lakers spent a rather disappointing 2015-2016 season with a 17-65 record. Aside from that, LA also lost Kobe Bryant after retiring from his professional career. But, even though the team was not able to enter the playoffs, it has already secured the second pick for the 2016 NBA Draft event, according to Sportsrageous.

With its favorable spot at the upcoming draft, the Lakers is expected to take advantage of this position by going for high profile picks such as Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram. This, however, also means that it might release some of its players to free up some cap space to get other free agents like Hassan Whiteside and DeMar DeRozan. One of those could be Clarkson, who is also bound to become a free agent.

For the athlete, though, he wants to remain with the Lakers for next season.

"I want to stay in LA," he told TWC Sports Net during an interview. "I don't really look at it as me being a free agent because I want to be here."

He also noted that he's been preparing for next season by improving his overall performance. During his two years with the Lakers, he averaged 14 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. His three-point field goal percentage, on the other hand, was only at .338.

According to Clarkson, this is exactly what he's currently working on, along with his overall offensive movements.

"I'm shooting a lot of threes, trying to get my three-point percentage up for next year," he said. "A lot of stuff off the dribble, a lot of stuff with contact and trying to be able to finish."

"That's probably the biggest thing offensively," he added.

Of course, even though Clarkson will become a free agent, there's still a strong chance that the Lakers will retain him since he is viewed as a valuable part of the team. And, according to Silverscreen and Roll, the LA franchise will likely match any offer to Clarkson once the free agency begins.