NBA Trade Rumors: 5 possible trade destinations for DeAndre Jordan
By Morgan Dunn
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland seems like the most logical destination for Jordan. While the Cavaliers are playing better basketball as of late, their slow start to the season has raised some eyebrows throughout NBA circles. Yes, the Cavs haven’t had Isaiah Thomas, the biggest return in the Kyrie Irving trade package, on the court as of yet, but Thomas is not going to help a defense that currently ranks in the Bottom 5 in defensive efficiency.
Again, Jordan’s strengths are his rebounding and defense, two things that Cleveland would benefit from greatly. This isn’t 2015-16 or 2016-17; the Cavs have more to worry about than just the Warriors. All of a sudden, Cleveland could be the fourth-best team in the league behind Golden State, Boston and Houston. Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen, but Cleveland must consider the idea of trading for a player of Jordan’s caliber.
Would Cleveland be willing to give up the famed Brooklyn pick in a trade with Jordan? The Nets currently own the sixth-worst record in the NBA, and it seems pretty likely that they’ll fall somewhere in the 4-7 range at season’s end. That would mean the pick has a pretty good chance of being a valuable one but not a guarantee to fall in the top five. The 2018 NBA Draft looks pretty top-heavy, but it’s too early in the college basketball season to know for sure.
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One would think that the Clippers would jump at the chance to make this trade, but the Brooklyn pick has been widely viewed as the safety net that would catch the Cavaliers were LeBron James to bolt in free agency. If Cleveland felt confident that James was in it in for the long haul, then this trade would make a lot of sense for them.