The Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers discussed trade possibilities that would have sent Deandre Jordan to Portland, but it’s not clear if those talks will continue going forward, per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
NBA trade rumors: Blazers, Clippers discussed DeAndre Jordan trade
The Clippers are interested in dealing Jordan, and the Blazers are interested in dealing LaMarcus Aldridge and somehow fielding a team after that. It’s no surprised they talked swaps earlier this offseason.
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Both teams have been in the spotlight of trade rumors thus far this offseason. The Clippers have been involved in the egregiously complicated and lengthy Doc Rivers epic, a scenario that originally saw Jordan and draft picks traded to Boston for Kevin Garnett and the right to sign Doc Rivers. But the NBA did not take too kindly to the concept of players being traded for coaches, and Jordan and Garnett eventually dropped out of the deal, which resulted in Rivers signing as the Clips’ new coach.
Blazers Edge: Examining Portland's options at center
Aldridge has emerged as one of the best big men in the game, capable of blinking and churning out a 20-point, 10-rebound effort, but his contract expires in two years, and the Blazers would rather get something for him soon rather than let him walk or become a rental for the 2014-15 season. They were rumored to shut down a potential trade that would have seen Aldridge swapped straight up for the No. 1 and No. 19 picks in this year’s draft.
These trade talks took place before the Doc scenario, according to Wojnarowski, and it isn’t clear if they’ll be revived. But its easy to see why they could be: Jordan isn’t on Aldridge’s level, especially on offense, but he’s a more-than-competent center due to his athleticism. If Portland indeed does get rid of Aldridge, Jordan would be a slight downgrade, but they could come out ahead depending on the value they get for Aldridge.
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