.png){kind=small}
The Blake Griffin trade left the NBA world shook. A trade of his former teammate, DeAndre Jordan almost seems inevitable. In fact rumours of Jordan moving have been around since December. Since engaging with Cleveland, the Clippers are reportedly seeking the Nets’ pick, Channing Frye and Tristan Thompson. Two things have changed in this transaction since rumors of a January move:
Iman Shumpert replaces Channing Frye, and
Instead of the Nets’ pick, Cleveland sends across their own draft pick this year.
Portland, Washington and Milwaukee have all reportedly been in the race for DeAndre’s services but Los Angeles would have to settle for worse trade packages if they were to engage with any of those teams. Here are some of the proposed trades from those teams that could happen:
Unless the Clippers seriously value a guy like Jabari Parker, who’s only just returned from his second serious knee injury, then it seems that the Cleveland package is the most likely. They could also use the Cavs’ and Pistons’ picks to package together and move up the draft a few spots if they have their hearts set on a certain prospect.
On the Cavs side, does Jordan really move the needle that much? Isn’t he just a glorified version of Tristan Thompson with better rim defense? It all depends on the mindset of owner, Dan Gilbert and general manager, Koby Altman. In terms of the assets they’d be giving up, it isn’t all that much. If anything their own draft pick is the most valuable piece in the deal. Iman Shumpert has been a non-factor for the past two seasons and Tristan Thompson’s play has fallen off a cliff faster than his soon to be sister-in-law’s first marriage. At the same time DeAndre might help you with a push in the Eastern Conference but when it comes down to the be-all and end-all, the Golden State Warriors, he’s essentially a liability. His free throw shooting is horrific, his switchability isn’t much better and his defense in general against them is terrible; his defensive rating against the Warriors across his career in worse than against any other team (111).
While Doc Rivers was less adamant about the rumored moves of more Clippers’ stars, his colleague, president of basketball operations, Lawrence Frank seemed far less cagey, via Bleacher Report:
"You never know," Frank said. "If you were to ask me the question a week ago whether we were going to trade Blake Griffin, the answer would have probably been different than [when] we're standing here today. You never know how it's going to unfold with the trade deadline looming. There will be a lot of activity, so we'll see how it plays out."
Watch this space…