Cleveland acquired Dante Exum, 2022 second round pick (#39-Khalifa Diop) and 2023 second round pick (#49-Emoni Bates) for Jordan Clarkson; the completed outcomes give the Cavaliers a modest realized-value edge.
Utah acquired Jordan Clarkson from Cleveland on December 23, 2019. The Cavaliers received Dante Exum and two second-round selections, later identified as No. 39 Khalifa Diop in 2022 and No. 49 Emoni Bates in 2023. That made the outgoing Cleveland guard the single immediate basketball target, while the Cavaliers split their return between a player contract and two future draft opportunities. The trade didn't include a first-round pick.
Clarkson gave Utah instant scoring and became the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 2020-21. That performance is direct Jazz-team value rather than speculation about a draft pick's eventual owner. His offensive role endured beyond one short run after the trade and supplied the strongest individual playing return in the original package. The Jazz's A+ grade is grounded in the specific player the team acquired, not in claiming every subsequent team result was produced by this transaction.
Exum provided Cleveland another guard option, and the 2022 and 2023 selections were identifiable future assets. The pick that became Khalifa Diop and the selection that became Emoni Bates should be tracked individually; their eventual names don't imply that both were established Cavaliers rotation contributors. Cleveland's B+ reflects more than a zero return, even though that package didn't equal Clarkson's sustained scoring impact for the Jazz. The retrospective comparison therefore supports Utah's stronger grade despite Cleveland's extra picks.
Jazz Win. Utah earns A+ for Jordan Clarkson's scoring and Sixth Man of the Year production with the club. Cleveland receives B+ for Dante Exum and the two picks tied to Khalifa Diop and Emoni Bates. Clarkson was the best realized player from this exchange, while the Cavaliers retained meaningful second-round opportunities.