{"id":7722,"date":"2017-06-21T19:13:02","date_gmt":"2017-06-21T23:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=7722"},"modified":"2017-06-21T19:13:02","modified_gmt":"2017-06-21T23:13:02","slug":"los-angeles-clippers-exploring-deandre-jordan-trade-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2017\/06\/21\/los-angeles-clippers-exploring-deandre-jordan-trade-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Clippers Exploring DeAndre Jordan Trade Options"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to sources, the Los Angeles Clippers are exploring <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jordade01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DeAndre Jordan<\/a><\/strong> trade options with multiple teams.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Haynes of ESPN.com was one of the first to break the new, reporting Tuesday that the Clippers have had \u201cexploratory\u201d talks with a few teams, including the Phoenix Suns.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">ESPN Sources: Los Angeles Clippers surveying landscape for potential DeAndre Jordan trade. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2MuTa757uS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/2MuTa757uS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChrisBHaynes\/status\/877343158161383427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 21, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Los Angeles Clippers Exploring DeAndre Jordan Trade Options<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Los Angeles reportedly offered Jordan to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/chandty01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyson Chandler<\/a><\/strong> and the No. 4 pick in Thursday&#8217;s NBA draft, but the offer was declined.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan averaged 12.7 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks starting for the Clippers last season. The athletic 28 year-old center also earned his first All-Star selection and was named a third-team All-NBA selection for the second time. Jordan also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ocregister.com\/2016\/08\/19\/rio-olympics-deandre-jordan-sparks-us-men-as-they-beat-spain-to-reach-basketball-gold-medal-game\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">contributed significantly<\/a> to the United States\u2019 2016 Olympic win in Rio de Janeiro, bringing him much deserved recognition.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Odd Timing for Trade Talk?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The timing of trade talks involving Jordan is interesting. Three of the Clipper\u2019s starting five are heading for free agency: <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/paulch01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Paul<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/griffbl01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Griffin<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/redicjj01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J.J. Redick<\/a><\/strong>. Few would fault these stars for signing elsewhere for a viable chance at a title. The Clippers\u2019 \u201cbig three\u201d of Jordan, Paul and Griffin have underwhelmed in the Playoffs, despite having stretches of brilliant play during the regular season. The calls to blow up the Clippers core have never been louder. Nonetheless, it seems odd that the Clippers would seriously seek to trade Jordan until they know with certainty what&#8217;s going on with their free agents.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Isn\u2019t it Ironic?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The idea that Jordan may be the first (or only?) of the Clippers\u2019 \u201cbig three\u201d to leave Los Angeles is also ironic given the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/how-the-deandre-jordan-fiasco-changed-the-nba-2015-7\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2015 fiasco <\/a>surrounding Jordan\u2019s near trade to the Dallas Mavericks in 2015.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What the Clippers Lose Without Jordan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Although Jordan has received more attention and\u00a0accolades in the past year than years prior, he is still\u00a0one of the more undervalued bigs in the NBA. Fans love his dunks and blocks, but then criticism him for \u201conly\u201d being able to do those things. \u00a0These critics simply don\u2019t appreciate the nuances in Jordan\u2019s game; the things he does that are not reflected in stat sheets.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan\u2019s mere presence on the floor changes the way opponents run their offense. Even the most crafty of players steer clear of the lane and alter their shots to avoid the NBA block leader\u2019s long reach.<\/p>\n<p>The offensive threat of Jordan\u2019s shot efficiency (74.1% in 2016-17; 67.7% for career), requires defenders to collapse, allowing perimeter shooters room to work.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan was nothing short of brilliant in the Clippers\u2019 unsuccessful bid for a championship this past season, logging a double-double in all seven playoff games played against the Utah Jazz. He averaged an impressive 15.4 points and 14.4 rebounds for the series.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the Clippers lack a viable back-up center. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/speigma01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marreese Speights<\/a><\/strong> was not an effective replacement for Jordan, despite having a handful of strong games for Los Angeles during the 2016-17 season, and has <a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2711329-marreese-speights-opts-out-of-clippers-contract-will-test-free-agency\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">opted out <\/a>of his contract with the Clippers to explore free agency. <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bassbr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Bass<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stonedi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Diamond Stone<\/a><\/strong> simply don\u2019t have the skill set or experience to fill Jordan\u2019s shoes. Although the NBA has quickly developed into a guard\u2019s league, the Clippers\u2019 need a quality big man.\u00a0Unfortunately, quality big men are hard to find.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Complete Blow Up May Be Necessary<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After this season\u2019s devastating first round early exit from the Playoffs, the time may be perfect for a complete overhaul of the Clippers, including a Jordan trade. The franchise has no up-and-coming talent to speak of, and are severely lacking in the way of future draft picks. At some point, paying exorbitant amounts of money for a core that has not been able to get the job done in the post-season is something even billionaire owner Steve Ballmer will no longer be willing to do.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Main Photo<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>LOS ANGELES, USA &#8211; FEBRUARY 22: DeAndre Jordan (6) of LA Clippers reacts during NBA basketball game between Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Sunsat Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, United States on February 22, 2016. (Photo by Mintaha Neslihan Eroglu\/Anadolu Agency\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Los Angeles Clippers are exploring DeAndre Jordan trade options with multiple teams. Is it time to blow up the Clippers core?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1670,"featured_media":3150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27,2,62,3],"tags":[65,228,189,96],"class_list":["post-7722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clippers","category-featured","category-nba","category-news","tag-basketball","tag-deandre-jordan","tag-los-angeles-clippers","tag-nba"],"modified_by":"Harrison Marcus","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1670"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}