Jazz’s Otto Porter Predicted to Sign With Clippers After Buyout

Even with the NBA trade deadline having come and gone, the Utah Jazz are still attempting to work through some of the happenings from their roster shake-up. After sending off Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji up north to the Toronto Raptors earlier in the month, the Jazz brought in veteran wing Otto Porter Jr. as a player that is leaning towards the direction of receiving a buyout from the team.

Sending off two rotational pieces for a player that won't suit up for a game with the franchise could be a tough pill to swallow for Jazz fans, but it's the right move all things considered. With Utah heavily invested in their youth movement and Porter looking to play a role on a championship-competitive roster, it's hard to see a complimentary fit for both sides. The inevitable split effectively leads to trying to find where the 11-year NBA vet will eventually end up to close out the season.

While we don't have anything concrete about where the Georgetown product will end up, some national media have begun to throw out some speculation of some possible destinations. In Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report's buyout predictions, Porter was pinned to join the Los Angeles Clippers for the rest of the season and playoffs ahead once relieved from Utah: 

Should he hit the open market, he could draw interest from a number of contenders—provided, of course, they are confident in his health. When he has made it to the hardwood in recent seasons, he's still the same shape-shifting defender who can mostly hold up against any of the three frontcourt positions while adding modest offensive value as a shot-maker and willing passer. Porter fits in plenty of places—a return to Golden State seems feasible—but the Los Angeles Clippers might offer him the best opportunity in terms of both contending for a title and filling a somewhat regular role. He may not handle nightly minutes in Hollywood, but if he's healthy, he could give them a lot of the frontcourt flexibility and three-and-D play they hoped to squeeze out of P.J. 

While he's dealt with several injuries this season and last, Porter has remained mainly productive when playing. He's only appeared in 23 games combined over the past two years but was in a critical bench role in 2022 for the Golden State Warriors en route to winning the NBA Finals.

The Clippers are a team that could benefit immensely from the additional wing depth and two-way ability that Porter provides. They fit the criteria of being a team with championship aspirations and wouldn't need him to play significant minutes, considering the immense talent this team already has on hand.

While Porter remains on the Jazz roster for the time being, the gears are already in motion for his departure. Stay tuned to see what ends up happening in the near future for this long-time league vet.

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