DeAndre Jordan apparently wants to be traded to the Houston Rockets. But the Milwaukee Bucks would really, really love it if he was traded to, well, Milwaukee.
As the Bucks’ search for additional size continues, they remain enamored with the thought of adding Jordan. The problem? They’re hardly frontrunners in such a discussion, according to the Racine Journal Times‘ Gery Woelfel:
As I reported several weeks ago, Bucks keenly interested in Clippers' DeAndre Jordan. However, source said today Bucks aren't the frontrunners for him. Deadline is Feb. 8.
— Gery Woelfel (@GeryWoelfel) January 18, 2018
All of this makes too much sense, on so many levels.
The Los Angeles Clippers, first off, have played their way back into playoff contention. Lou Williams is balling, and Blake Griffin is playing like a man worth of being Lou Williams’ sidekick. Knowing how badly owner Steve Ballmer wants to make the playoffs, suitors can no longer lowball them on the Jordan front. He’s too valuable to their present playoff push, even with his 30th birthday and free agency (player option) on the horizon.
This poses a unique problem for the Bucks, because they don’t have too many trade assets. Correction: They don’t have too many trade assets they’re actually willing to trade. Whisking Jordan out of Los Angeles for a package built around some combination of D.J. Wilson, Johnson, Sterling Brown, second-round picks and other filler felt like a legitimate possibility way back when, with the Clippers seemingly tottering on the edge of a full-blown tank job.
Now, though, the Bucks would likely have to fork over at least one of Jabari Parker, Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon to make this deal a remote possibility. And that’s tough to do when they know they’re basically paying for the right to pay Jordan a bunch of money this summer.
So unless Milwaukee’s current hardline stance chances, expect DJ to end up elsewhere. And, hell, the closer the Clippers get to taking ownership of a Western Conference playoff seed, the more we should expect Jordan not to go anywhere at all.
