It’s not yet known whether the Los Angeles Clippers will deal DeAndre Jordan before next month’s trade deadline. The team enters Monday’s action as the eighth seed out west with a 23-22 record.
But Jordan himself has an option to become a free agent this coming summer, which might force the Clippers’ hand.
We do know that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks have been the two teams most linked to Jordan in trade talks.
We can now add the Portland Blazers to the mix.
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
Though, it’s important to note that the Clippers themselves reportedly have not yet received a formal proposal from any of the three teams.
Much like its standing in the Western Conference, Portland might be fighting an uphill climb here. As to where both Cleveland and Milwaukee boast the necessary assets to add Jordan in a trade, the Blazers don’t really have much to offer Los Angeles.
The team’s supporting cast is filled with under-performing and high-priced veterans. That includes the likes of Evan Turner ($17.1 million annually) and Maurice Harkless ($10.2 million).
With the impressive Jusuf Nurkic manning the center position in Portland, we’re not even sure Jordan would be a tremendous fit here.
The Blazers must find upgrades behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum on the roster if they want to be taken seriously as contenders out west moving forward. Whether that’s Jordan remains to be seen.