The L.A. Clippers recently sealed a trade which got them Marcin Gortat from the Washington Wizards. Many believe that this is a move to quickly find a starting center once DeAndre Jordan bolts. But if Jordan stays, Gortat would do just fine as a backup.
As per ESPN's Zach Lowe, Gortat seemed to put the Clippers in a win-win situation. With Gortat on the roster, they can do with or without Jordan:
If Jordan opts out of his $24 million deal for next season, LA has a starting center. If he opts in, the Clippers with one stroke of the pen regain some control of his destiny. They'd be fine keeping even a disgruntled Jordan, and using Gortat as a backup, sources say. If they trade him, they can do so without worrying about acquiring a center.
Once the deal was finalized, many were quick to assume that the move by the Clippers was done in anticipation of Jordan opting out of his $24 million deal, leaving the team without a legitimate center. Others say that this might be the first of several moves from the Clippers, with hopes of acquiring the top free agents this season.
If Jordan opts out, there's a pretty good chance that he'll go to the Dallas Mavericks — a team which he almost signed with several years back. But things are a bit different now. Legend Shaquille O'Neal said that Jordan going to the Mavericks wouldn't really mean much for the franchise. In an interview with 105.3 The Fan's Shan and RJ show, Shaq said:
“He could help them, but I don't think it'll get Dallas back to where they used to be very, very prominent, winning championships. It's not a big-guy league anymore, and DeAndre Jordan is pretty much just a shot blocker.”
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