Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has been one of the biggest names being mentioned in the rumor mill this season. It seems like the more the Clippers struggle, the more Jordan was linked to different teams.
Trade rumors surrounding the Clippers had been active since they traded team leader Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets last summer. Some analysts believed that it was only a matter of time before Blake Griffin and Jordan, the team’s two other All-Stars, would also be dealt as Doc Rivers and company prepare for a major rebuild.
As it turned out, Griffin and Jordan stayed in L.A. to start 2017-2018 with high hopes. However, the team clearly missed Paul’s services as they went on a nine-game losing slide earlier in the season. They tried to fight back with a three-game winning run but lost Griffin to an MCL sprain in the third game, a 120-115 win over the Lakers on November 27.
With Griffin out and the season seemed lost, Jordan’s name was dangled in trade rumors once again, and it has not died down even though Griffin was back in the lineup.
The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly one of the teams interested in trading for Jordan as head coach Jason Kidd wants to add a legitimate center on their roster.
FanSided’s Sir Charles in Charge reported that the Bucks continue to “covet” Jordan as the team is “in desperate need of depth in their frontcourt.” The report also noted, though, that the Clippers are still undecided whether or not they will make Jordan available in the trade market.
Bleacher Report also reported that Jordan “tops” the Bucks’ list of probable trade targets ahead of next month’s deadline. It was indicated that a player and a future draft pick may be enough to complete a deal involving Jordan.
DeAndre Jordan tops Bucks’ list of targets ahead of trade deadline, per @wojespn https://t.co/sa3SpRnq7F pic.twitter.com/7patShm2tG
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 8, 2018
The Clippers (17-21) are currently ninth in the West right now, only two games behind eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans, who also had their share of basketball-related issues. With the Clippers still having a shot at a potential playoffs run, CBS Sports’ Jack Maloney said that Doc Rivers’ side “ may not move the big man (Jordan) after all.”
Citing NBA columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Maloney said that while the Bucks remain interested in getting Jordan, Milwaukee “may not have the assets” to pull off such a trade.
Other than that, Maloney opined that with the NBA getting “top heavy” because of the dominance of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bucks may hesitate to acquire Jordan and his huge salary without the guarantee of a championship and only to “win a few more playoff games.”
Jordan is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July and it could be a key time for both Jordan and the Bucks, Maloney said.
