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In the past few weeks, Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has been a favorite topic in NBA trade rumors. One of the reasons why is the Clippers' current campaign. The Clippers had an excellent start to the season before they faltered. Until now, Lob City is yet to recover. The team has lost three consecutive outings and is 10th in the West with an 11-18 record.
It is undetermined if the Clippers are serious about a trade that will see them part ways with Jordan. As of the moment, he is one of the squad's most consistent players. In 29 games (all starts) so far, the 29-year-old has averaged 11.0 points, 14.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 blocks per contest. Despite the uncertainty when it comes to a DeAndre Jordan trade, there were a handful of teams believed to be interested in the All-Star big man. The list included the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, and the Toronto Raptors.
Among the options, a potential trade with the Cavaliers may benefit the Clippers the most. There are two players reportedly on the trade block for the reigning Eastern Conference champions. These are Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert. The Cavs could ship Thompson and Shumpert to Lob City in exchange for Jordan. Their addition will be impactful to the Clippers because they are championship-caliber players.
The Clippers have tried to have a deep run in the postseason several times. Unfortunately, they always suffer elimination in the second round. Thompson and Shumpert's rich playoff experiences may be the key that will help Blake Griffin and company get over the infamous slump.
Following the Cavaliers are the Blazers. The Blazers have a promising center in Jusuf Nurkic. The Clippers may send Jordan to Portland for a package deal headlined by the Bosnian prospect.
Nurkic is much younger than Jordan at only 23 years old, his game is still developing. He can be part of the long-term plans of the Clippers, especially if they plan to rebuild but remain competitive.
It is also beneficial to the Clippers if Jordan heads to Milwaukee. The Bucks have a bevy of budding talents which they can utilize as assets for a DeAndre Jordan trade. However, it is unknown who among them the Bucks are willing to sacrifice.
During the offseason, the Bucks displayed their willingness to let go of young talents when they offered Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton for Kyrie Irving. But Jordan is not Irving, which means the Clippers might receive a different proposal from the Bucks. Instead of Brogdon and Middleton, they may mention the likes of Thon Maker, John Henson, Rashad Vaughn, D.J. Wilson, Joel Bolomboy, and Sterling Brown. It is possible for the Bucks to involve a veteran (Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic, Jason Terry) or/and a future draft pick to sweeten the deal.
The Knicks are good business partners as well for the Clippers if they pursue a DeAndre Jordan trade. Both teams can do a center-to-center swap. The Knicks get Jordan, while the Clippers receive Enes Kanter. To match the value of Jordan, the Clippers may ask for one more player from New York.
Similar to Nurkic, Kanter, 25, is a younger option at the No. 5 position for the Clippers. Kanter is performing efficiently this season, his first year in New York. He is averaging 13.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists each night for the Knicks. His scoring output decreased from the previous season, but that is understandable since the Knicks have Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. to take most of the load on the offensive end. Despite the drop, Kanter is the third-best scorer on the roster. Unfortunately, if the Clippers trade for Kanter, they will still be in danger of losing a starting center by the end of the season. Same with Jordan, Kanter has a 2018 player option in his contract. He can choose to stay for another season or test the free agency waters.
The Raptors got dragged into the conversation, but from the looks of it, they are in no rush to complete any NBA trade. Though Jordan arriving in Toronto would aid the Raptors in closing the gap between them and their Eastern Conference rivals, the Cavaliers. The Raptors, led by the All-Star backcourt tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, have attempted to dethrone LeBron James and the Cavs in the last couple of seasons. Sadly, in both tries, they ended up falling.
