NBA Rumors: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers Actively Discussing DeAndre Jordan Trade

DeAndre Jordan has been one of the faces of the Los Angeles Clippers throughout his entire career, but it appears that his time with the franchise could be coming to a close. After trading Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons last season ahead of the deadline and Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets before the season, Los Angeles is close to completely moving on from their former “big three.”

According to a report from ESPN‘s Marc Stein, the Dallas Mavericks are actively discussing a trade with the Clippers that would send Jordan out of town. Jordan infamously backed out of a free agency deal with the Mavericks a few years back, but Dallas is more than prepared to give him a second chance.

The report states that the Mavericks are hopeful that they will be able to come to an agreement on a trade for Jordan at some point this week.

Jordan would be a massive upgrade in the front-court for the Mavericks. Dallas has been searching for a big man for the past couple years and they finally have their sights set on one. It appears that the Clippers are motivated to move Jordan, making that even more clear with the acquisition of Marcin Gortat from the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

The Mavericks are actively exploring trade scenarios with the Clippers and former flame DeAndre Jordan in hopes of trading for Jordan this week, league sources tell @NYTSports. Full @nytimes coverage here: https://t.co/I7UeakZT5N

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 28, 2018

Last season with the Clippers, Jordan averaged 12.0 points per game to go along with 15.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. His defense wasn’t at the level that fans have become used to, but he is still one of the league’s most dangerous rim protectors, which is an area that Dallas desperately needs help.

Mark Cuban is motivated to make a big move or two this offseason with the hope of getting back into playoff contention. Dallas has two very good young players to build around in Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic. Jordan would fit in perfectly and replace the hole that Dallas hoped Nerlens Noel could fill when they acquired him from Philadelphia a couple years ago.

At 29 years old, Jordan is still in the prime of his career and would likely end up signing a long-term deal with the Mavericks. In order for this trade to go through, Jordan would opt in to the final year of his contract with the Clippers, which is worth just over $24.1 million for the 2018-19 season.

There have been no reports about what the Mavericks would have to give up in order to acquire Jordan from the Clippers.

All of that being said, this deal appears very likely to go down at some point in the near future. The two teams are in serious discussions and the Mavericks are very motivated to get something done.

Expect to hear more news about this potential trade over the next day or two. Free agency will open up on July 1, which will speed up the timeline for these two teams to come to an agreement.