.png){kind=small}
As the Los Angeles Clippers go into the tank, with Blake Griffin injured, trade rumors have surfaced surrounding center DeAndre Jordan have resurfaced. He is making $22.64 million this season, with a $24.1 million player option for next year, so trading him looks like a viable option if the Clippers go into rebuild mode.
The Milwaukee Bucks have sort of emerged as the team with the most interest in Jordan, with the Clippers rumored to be seeking Khris Middleton, reigning Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and John Henson in the trade. But the Minnesota Timberwolves were mentioned by Gery Woelfel of Woelfel’s Press Box as being among a few other teams with interest in the Clippers’ center.
But what would a deal sending Jordan to Minnesota look like? Luckily, ESPN has an NBA Trade Machine tool to help roll through scenarios.
The easiest spin through the trade machine has forward Gorgui Dieng and center Cole Aldrich going from the Timberwolves to the Clippers for Jordan. And the deal works. Obviously, the Wolves would have to send a pick(s) in this situation.
Another hypothetical trade for Jordan would have Minnesota sending Dieng, 2017 first-round pick Justin Patton and forward Nemanja Bjelica to the Clippers.
Yet another possibility combines the above scenarios, with Aldrich, Dieng, Patton and Jones going to Los Angeles for Jordan and Lou Williams.
Once the Dec. 15 deadline passes and players that were signed last offseason can be traded, that opens up Taj Gibson as a possibility in a trade for Jordan. But that’s also unlikely, as the former Bull is a key veteran piece and Tom Thibodeau will not be compelled to move him easily. I’m also assuming Jordan would be the only player being dealt by the Clippers, as no other player is likely to appeal to the Timberwolves much.
There’s also a question of how easily Jordan would fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns needs work on the defensive end, in both recognition and effort level, so Jordan would help cover some of that up. Towns can play out on the floor offensively and shoot from the perimeter too, so any spacing issues spacing on that end of the floor would be minimized.
Jordan is unlikely to wind up with the Timberwolves, since they can’t really compete with what the Clippers want from the Bucks if the Bucks are motivated to make the move. But a few deals would be quite simple from a salary matching perspective for Minnesota, with a couple young pieces involved to sweeten the pot.