What DeAndre Jordan trades work best for both sides?
With the possibility looming that the All-Star center gets moved, our NBA Insiders present four deals that work.
Destination: Cleveland Cavaliers
Clippers get: Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye
Cavaliers get: DeAndre Jordan
Kevin Pelton: When looking at Jordan trades, four challenges arise:
finding teams that are looking for a veteran All-Star
finding teams in need of a center
finding teams that can make Jordan work financially
finding teams that won't stick the Clippers with bad salary in return
After ruling out teams for those reasons, I was left with only one Jordan trade I really liked for both teams: moving him to Cleveland for a package built around Thompson.
While Thompson has two years beyond this one on his contract, at an average of $17.5 million, he's reasonably paid. And I suspect the Clippers could move him if they wanted to maximize their cap space over the next couple of summers.
With LeBron James a free agent, the future is now for the Cavaliers, so trading for a player with an expiring contract (Jordan can become a free agent next summer) shouldn't be a major concern. Jordan would upgrade Cleveland's rim protection dramatically, and the lob threat he presents on offense would allow him to provide vertical spacing, assuming he plays with sufficient shooting on the perimeter -- which the Cavaliers should have once Isaiah Thomas returns from his hip injury.
Destination: Houston Rockets
Clippers get: Clint Capela, Trevor Ariza, Nene, Tarik Black, Troy Williams and a 2020 first-round pick
Rockets get: DeAndre Jordan
Bobby Marks: The 2018-19 season is likely a bridge year for the Clippers to their next era. Not counting Jordan, LA has $92 million counting against the salary cap and only $8.5 million in room (not including a likely top-8 pick). For 2019-20, only Blake Griffin and Danilo Gallinari have guaranteed contracts, leaving more than $40 million in room.
As outlined here, the Rockets can clear $20.5 million in room in 2018 by shedding all of their contracts besides James Harden's super-max and cap holds for Chris Paul and Capela (both free agents). A Jordan trade would complicate that potential plan, since he has a $24.2 million player option next season -- and a higher cap hold than Capela. He might also command a higher salary if he opts out (a likelihood).
Still, acquiring Jordan via trade would be an easier route than free agency and would allow the Rockets to retain their stars plus Ryan Anderson, PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon.
And if GM Daryl Morey thinks the All-Star center can help take Houston over the top against Golden State this season, a Jordan trade could be worth a roll of the dice. Furthermore, if CP3 wants a Jordan trade to bring a bit of Lob City to Houston, Morey might be influenced by that, given that Paul will be a free agent next summer.
The Rockets would have to send back about $18 million in salary, and they can include a first-round pick starting in 2020 (that would be facilitated by removing the no-longer-necessary top-3 protection from the pick they owe Atlanta this season).
The Rockets, as a hard-cap team, cannot exceed $125.3 million in salary and would need to sign four players to the prorated minimum. Once the roster is filled out, Houston would be under the hard cap by just $237,000.
As with the Paul trade in June, Jordan would need to waive his 15 percent trade bonus, valued at $2.4 million. And the Clippers and Rockets would need to show creativity in finding a third team to take back the contracts of Williams and Black. In addition, the Clippers would need to waive former first-round pick Brice Johnson. It all sounds complicated, but in June both teams showed that the math can work with some outside help.
Another version of this trade -- Ryan Anderson, Capela and a pick -- could work, though it's unlikely LA would take on Anderson's contract, especially since he's redundant next to Griffin and Gallinari. Instead, they could try this more creative deal of Capela, Ariza, Nene, Black, Williams and a first-rounder once all of the players are eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.
Houston would have to think twice about messing with its chemistry midseason, and would surely not relish losing a young center like Capela and a strong two-way player like Ariza. But the latter's deal is expiring and Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute offset the loss.
Destination: Washington Wizards
Clippers get: Marcin Gortat, Kelly Oubre Jr., Tomas Satoransky, Sheldon Mac
Wizards get: DeAndre Jordan, Brice Johnson
Andrew Han: John Wall has been out to rehab an ailing left knee, but the 27-year-old is in the first year of a five-year deal with Washington. And with Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. anchored, the Wizards have their core in place.
A 29-year-old, 6-foot-11 spring who can protect the rim, gobble lobs and clean up the glass -- and whose durability is second only to that of LeBron James -- might be the missing piece to their nucleus. Washington would likely feel confident about being able to re-sign Jordan as well, given Wall's court vision and the potential for the most electric pick-and-roll lobs since Chris Paul-Tyson Chandler in New Orleans.
Meanwhile, Oubre and Satoransky would present intriguing options for a Clippers franchise that has been anemic in identifying wing talent, while Gortat could be an asset to be flipped again this season (as a serviceable center) or next year (as an expiring contract). The Clippers also would need to find a third team to take the injured Mac, since LA would exceed the 15-man roster limit.
For this trade to work, Jordan would have to waive his 15 percent trade bonus valued at $2.4 million.
So the Wizards would be obtaining an All-Star in Jordan, but at a high cost. The Wizards' tax bill would increase from $8.9 million to $17.7 million.
Destination: Milwaukee Bucks
Clippers get: Matthew Dellavedova, Jabari Parker, Thon Maker
Bucks get: DeAndre Jordan
Jeremias Engelmann: The Bucks' season is running below expectations -- their minus-1.0 scoring margin is that of a 38-win team.
Acquiring Jordan would create additional spacing issues, but his 14.2 rebounds per game would undoubtedly help with the Bucks' biggest problem: Milwaukee grabs the fewest rebounds of any team in the league, with the 30th-ranked offensive rebounding rate and the 25th-ranked defensive rebounding rate.
Dellavedova has become expendable with the arrival of Eric Bledsoe, and Maker seems to have taken a giant step back in his second season, with most of his stats taking a nosedive. Parker is trying to come back from a second ACL injury, hasn't made a positive impact when he's actually played (2016-17 real plus-minus of minus-0.8) and, once he returns, would have trouble finding minutes with Middleton and Giannis at forward.
For Jordan, the Clippers would be getting two young players with potential, including a former No. 2 overall pick in Parker.
As in the Houston and Washington trades above, Jordan would have to waive his 15 percent trade bonus valued at $2.4 million. Because the Clippers would be taking back three players, LA would need to waive a player, likely 2016 first-round pick Brice Johnson.
The Bucks, under the luxury-tax line by $4.4 million before the trade, would be under the line by only $900,000 after the trade. And with two open roster spots, Milwaukee would likely be a tax team when the season ends.