Blake Griffin is gone, and DeAndre Jordan now appears to be on borrowed time at the Clippers. The Griffin trade indicated a desire to build for the future, and though Jordan is just 29, young players, cap space and picks are likely to take precedence over him. The 7” center has comfortably averaged a double-double for five seasons, is a strong defender in the paint, and brings six years of playoff experience with him.
For many teams, particularly those on the lottery side of the standings, he isn’t a suitable proposition, but he has plenty to offer to the right team. Here’s a list of the five best trades for DeAndre Jordan, ranked from #5-#1.
5. DeAndre Jordan for Ian Mahinmi and Kelly Oubre Jr
Jordan in a Wizards uniform makes a lot of sense. They are a team with an elite backcourt, a couple of very good young players, and a big hole at the center position. Gortat, at 33 years of age, is clearly on the decline, and is contributing just 8.9 points and eight boards a game this season. Jordan would provide significantly more at both ends of the floor, and a starting lineup consisting of Wall, Beal, Porter Jr and Jordan would win plenty of games.
Unfortunately, there isn’t an obvious way to get this trade done, and the proposed swap would likely make fans of both teams a little nervous. If Washington wants to have Jordan on the books, they clearly need to get rid of one of Gortat and Mahinmi. Mahinmi is on a four year deal at $16 million per year until 2020, and the Wizards would no doubt love to get this unreasonably sizable contract off their books. Obviously this isn’t ideal for the Clippers, and if they had the choice they’d probably rather take the marginally more productive Gortat on a cheaper and shorter contract.
The reason for using Mahinmi in this though, is to soften the blow of giving up Oubre Jr, whom the Wizards have seemingly committed along with their back court in Bradley Beal and John Wall.
At just 22 years old, Oubre Jr is having easily the best season of his career, and is showing plenty of good signs. What’s more, he’s on just a tick over $2 million per year until 2019, which is an absolute steal. He would fit in perfectly on a Clippers team which has an eye on the future, and could potentially be a major building block around which they build their future team.
Washington would be loathe to offload him; alongside the Wizards starters excluding Morris, he has been a part of their best lineup this season, one which has a +22.5 net rating over the course of the season. In gaining a player which would add plenty to their starting lineup though, and offloading the worst contract on their books, they would probably be willing to give him up.
4. DeAndre Jordan and Austin Rivers for Brook Lopez, Jordan Clarkson and a 2019 protected first round pick
The Clippers cross-town rivals have not been widely touted as a potential landing spot for Jordan, but ESPN’s Zach Lowe brought some attention to it when he mentioned the possibility. The logic is that, for a young team looking to clear cap space to lure high-profile free agents, Jordan could be a starting point through which they could attract even better players. It certainly makes sense, but getting the trade done requires a fair few pieces to be shuffled.
Getting rid of Lopez would be high on the Lakers’ priority list, particularly given they’ll be receiving another center on in excess of $20 million per year. Luke Walton doesn’t want Lopez; he’s made that clear throughout a season in which he has regularly failed to play the big man for more than a couple of minutes in the second half.
Lopez starts, but it seems like more of a token gesture to keep a proud player who was the main guy for most of his career in Brooklyn happy. He doesn’t exactly fit the profile of what the Clippers are aiming for either, but he is on an expiring contract, meaning he would likely have a relatively short stay on their roster and be used in a subsequent trade for more future assets.
The Lakers will be hoping their 2019 first round pick isn’t too high, with the development of their young players and the inclusion of Jordan likely to push them up the standings. In case they fail to meet expectations though, they’d probably want to make this a top-10 protected pick, or something along those lines. Regardless, much of the risk would be on the Clippers.
This would be pushing it to get things done for the Clippers, but Lopez is a valuable player on the right team and could be traded for a relatively useful pick or young player. With a 2019 first-rounder also coming their way in the trade, they would be stockpiling a handy collection of future assets, which is exactly what they need as a rebuilding team.
Rivers for Clarkson is somewhat of a like-for-like trade; both are 25, can play the one or the two, are on similar contracts, and aren’t that good. They are both useful rotation players though, and while Rivers is having the best season of his career, Clarkson probably has slightly more value. He has been relatively useful this season, coming off the bench to score nearly 15 points in 23 minutes of play at a fairly efficient clip.
This aspect of the trade would of course require Doc Rivers to be willing to trade his son, but at least he’d stay in the same city. There may not be a whole lot gained by this part of the trade, but it probably sweetens things just a little for the Clippers, and perhaps enough to get it over the line.
3. DeAndre Jordan for Jusuf Nurkic, Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless
Recently, the Trail Blazers have emerged as the most likely suitor for Jordan. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst sent the rumor mills into a frenzy on The Hoop Collective podcast, stating that “I think he’s either in L.A or Portland and I think he really ought to consider picking up his option”. The primary part of this trade would be Nurkic. Jordan is an excellent pick-and-roll player and a very efficient finisher in the paint, and Portland have struggled significantly in these areas this season with Nurkic at the five.
For the Clippers though, he may just be a more suitable starting center than Jordan; he certainly has talent, and importantly, at 23 years of age he is six years younger than DeAndre. He is on a contract worth just over $2 million per year, great value for a player of his caliber, but it is an expiring deal and he will demand a significant pay rise this summer. The Clippers would still likely hold onto him though, as he is a useful young player and will still be on significantly less than the $22 million they’re currently paying Jordan.
Aminu and Harkless certainly aren’t players who would turn the Clippers franchise around, but both have some value as NBA players. They are both former number top 15 picks who can hit a 3 and defend a little, and in today’s NBA that is a useful combination. More importantly though, in trading these two guys the Trail Blazers would create room for Jordan’s contract.
They aren’t getting rid of McCollum or Lillard, who are deservedly their two highest paid players, but after these two they have a number of average players on bad contracts, and to bring in a guy on more than $20 million a year they need to move some pieces. They’d certainly lose a little bit of depth in doing so, but with Lillard, McCollum and Jordan in their starting five, they would have a big three which would cause plenty of teams some problems.
2. DeAndre Jordan for Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert, and Cleveland’s 2018 first round pick
The problems which have embroiled Cleveland make them a prime candidate for activity during this trade period, and Jordan is certainly a player who they will likely have a look at. For all of their problems on offense, the most pertinent issues the Cavs have faced this season are at the other end of the floor. They rank third last in defensive rating, extraordinary for a team with, presumably, championship aspirations. The 109.4 points per 100 possessions which they have conceded so far this season is better only than the woeful Kings and the Suns (both 109.9). They give up 47.3 points in the paint per night, the fourth most in the league.
Jordan would help them out in this regard. Offensively he is relatively limited, but much of his usefulness comes at the defensive end of the floor, where he is a quality interior defender and a strong presence in the paint. For much of this season, Love has been defending the center position, and though he is a better player than Jordan overall, he is a long way from an equal inside force at the defensive end.
Thompson is back in the starting lineup for now, and in this trade Jordan would simply take his spot, and perform better. When Love returns, the Cavs would boast a dangerous front court, with one of the best offensive bigs in the game lining up alongside a strong defender and a capable finisher at the rim.
Thompson is a significant downgrade on Jordan, so the Clippers would need a reasonable amount in return, and this is where the other two pieces of the trade come into play. Shumpert is a useful role player, capable of playing the role of a poor man’s Andre Iguodala for the Clippers, who won’t have any problem paying his $11 million contract given the plethora of space they would have after getting rid of Jordan.
The 2018 first round pick of Cleveland won’t be a high one, but it is an asset nonetheless, and one which would benefit a team which is clearly looking to the future.
1. DeAndre Jordan for John Henson, DJ Wilson, and Milwaukee’s 2018 first round pick
Milwaukee has for some time loomed as a suitable destination for Jordan. They are a talented young roster built around a top five player in the league, but a relatively clear Achilles heel of theirs is an absence of a strong presence at the center position. John Henson is a serviceable shot blocker, and his 7’6” wingspan fits the profile of the rangy bucks, but he is averaging just 8.8 points and 6.7 rebounds this season. Jordan is a better finisher (11.8 ppg), a much better rebounder (14.9 rpg), and a stronger presence in the paint.
Jabari Parker has just returned to the court, and inserting both him and Jordan into the lineup at much the same time would certainly cause some concerns. Parker is more than capable of spreading the floor though – he shot 36.5% from downtown in 51 games in 2016 – meaning there would still be ample space for Antetokounmpo to get inside, and for Jordan to operate.
The Clippers, in return, get a few things that they want. Firstly, they clear cap space. Jordan is being paid over $22 million this season, and next year that will rise to over $24 million. Between Henson and the rookie Wilson – pick 17 from the 2017 draft – they won’t even be paying half of this. The Bucks 2018 first round pick will be a mid-late one, but two picks in (probably) the first 20 is nothing to sneeze at, and if they bottom out a little for the rest of the current season, the first one could be relatively high.
So where will he go?
Of course, making these options all the more complex is the fact that Jordan has the option of becoming a free agent in a few months. Clearly, teams would be unwilling to trade anything of much value if they believe he plans to leave them relatively soon, and for this reason it’s much more likely that he goes to a competitive team.
There is also the possibility, of course, that he stays with the Clippers. He has been there now for all ten years of his NBA career, clearly has a strong connection with the place, and may relish the prospect of being the lead guy around which the franchise rebuilds its core, particularly if Lou Williams ends up being traded.
There is plenty of discussion around where he is going though, and often where there is smoke, there’s fire. At this point, a move seems more likely than not, but exactly where he will end up is anybody’s guess.
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