LA Clippers could address need at center after the trade deadline
The LA Clippers have an obvious weakness at the center position, and according to rumors, the team could address the need following the trade deadline.
The LA Clippers are 54 games into the 2018-2019 NBA regular season, and over the course of that time, at least one thing has been made abundantly clear: The Clippers need a center.
It’s not like the team’s current bigs are completely useless. Marcin Gortat is one of the best screen-setters in the league, Boban Marjanovic is virtually unstoppable in the paint, and Montrezl Harrell has buckets of energy.
The problem is that not a single one of those players has separated themselves from each other this season (at least when used in the starting lineup) — and none of them have been able to stand up to the NBA’s elite centers.
LA gives up more offensive rebounds than any other team in the league, and has struggled against teams that feature high-scoring centers in their rotation.
The Clippers are well aware of the issue, and according to the LA Times’ Dan Woike, the front office has their eyes set on a few players.
DeAndre Jordan is a potential candidate to return to LA, now that he’s been traded to the New York Knicks. There’s no official word on his status, but he could be bought out and made a free agent shortly after Thursday’s deadline.
Jordan is averaging 13.7 rebounds per game this season and is shooting a career-high 68.4 percent from the free throw line. Despite the struggles he had in Dallas, he should still be considered an upgrade over any of LA’s current centers.
He may not be the defensive enforcer that he once was, but he’d immediately become LA’s best two-way big. And if the Clippers are serious about contending for the playoffs this season, Jordan may be an essential piece.
LA could sign him for the minimum in the event that he is bought out, which would require the Clippers to purge a current roster spot. All signs would point to Milos Teodosic as the one to get the axe, since there have been reports about his losing interest in the team.
If Jordan isn’t bought out, expect the Clippers to hold off on signing a center right now and wait until Nikola Vucevic becomes available this summer.
The 28-year-old is having a career-year with the Orlando Magic, averaging a career-best 20.7 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. The seven-footer is also connecting on nearly 38 percent of his three-point attempts, which would be significant since floor-spacing big men have never seemed to be a part of LA’s recent plans (with the exception of Spencer Hawes, if you can really say that).
Vucevic isn’t known for his defense, but his offensive ability could give the Clippers the push they need next season — especially if he’s paired with someone like Kawhi Leonard, who the Clippers still reportedly have plans to pursue.
Jordan would obviously come at a cheaper cost than Vucevic, but he probably isn’t the long-term solution they need. However, it is possible that Vucevic is dealt ahead of the deadline, which could lead Jordan and the Clippers into a reunion.
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