DeAndre Jordan could have a big payday coming up, which means the Los Angeles Clippers have a decision to make. Jordan has a $24 million player option for next season, but there's a chance he could decline it and seek more money in free agency.
Do they keep him, pay him what he wants and go all-in on a DeAndre-Blake Griffin frontcourt? Or do they decide to go in a different direction and try to get something for him while they still can?
If the Clippers do decide to trade the 7-foot All-Star, they reportedly already have a few suitors. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Portland Trail Blazers have joined the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks as teams that have shown interest in acquiring Jordan.
The Trail Blazers are among the teams that have tried to engage the Clippers in trade talks for DeAndre Jordan, according to league sources
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 22, 2018
So far, however, Stein reports that the Clippers haven't been blown away by any of the offers.
But league sources say that the Clippers have yet to receive a proposal from Cleveland, Milwaukee, Portland or anyone else that they’ve found seriously tempting https://t.co/vszOca0qJ1
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 22, 2018
It's hard to imagine that the Blazers would want to play Jordan and center Jusuf Nurkic together, so one would think that Portland would include Nurkic in the trade proposal. Since Griffin doesn't post up as much as he used to, adding a more traditional post scorer and rim protector could be something that piques the Clippers' interest. But Nurkic is a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and Portland would have to throw in some salary fillers like Mo Harkless and Meyers Leonard, who would have minimal impact on the Clippers' lineup.
A more intriguing option would be if the Blazers decide to break up the backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum that has been the staple for the last few years in Portland. If that's the case, the Blazers could offer McCollum and Nurkic for Jordan and, say, Lou Williams. Then the trade becomes a little more intriguing for both sides.
But we're along way from that, at least according to Stein's report. As we get closer and closer to the Feb. 8 trade deadline, however, you can expect to see plenty more rumors flying around the NBA.