DeAndre Jordan was one of the players the Dallas Mavericks traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis before the February NBA trade deadline. Though most people expected him to leave after the 2018-19 NBA season, rumors are circulating that the Knicks intend to keep Jordan to lure his close friend, Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors, to New York.
It’s not a secret that DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Durant want to play together on one team, but the veteran center may have other plans in the 2019 NBA free agency. According to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN , Jordan has an interest in returning to the place he called home for 10 seasons. In need of quality players to surround LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers are “expected to try to find a way” to make Jordan’s dream homecoming come true this summer.
“As Jordan is one of the league’s best defenders and a close friend of Durant’s, teams who have interest in Durant have interest in bringing Jordan aboard as well, including the Brooklyn Nets and Knicks, where Jordan finished last season. But Jordan, who played nine seasons with the LA Clippers, has an interest in playing in Los Angeles again, sources said. He would potentially be a fit for the Lakers, who are expected to try to find a way to sign Jordan and play him alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James.”
The Lakers are reportedly interested in Brook Lopez and DeAndre Jordan, who could potentially be lower-cost free agent options for them to pursue. https://t.co/xqwkNRvaT1
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) June 23, 2019
DeAndre Jordan would be an incredible addition to the Lakers, giving them an All-Star caliber center who could tremendously boost their performance in terms of rebounding and rim protection. Last season, the 30-year-old big man averaged 11.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks on 64.1 percent shooting from the field. Jordan won’t have any problem sharing the Lakers’ frontcourt with Anthony Davis. Davis can efficiently play at the power forward position and has the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc.
The idea of playing alongside two of the best active players, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, is intriguing enough for DeAndre Jordan to consider signing with the Lakers this summer. However, the Lakers aren’t expected to spend a huge chunk of their salary cap space to bring Jordan to Los Angeles.
After trading Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga, and Jemerrio Jones to the Washington Wizards, the Lakers have created $32 million in salary cap space in which they are planning to use to sign at least one of Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler, and Kemba Walker in the 2019 NBA free agency.
