DeAndre Jordan a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers? That talk has gone from pure speculation to something that could be on the horizon for the Cavaliers organization.
A report broke today that the Cleveland Cavaliers front office may consider a trade for Jordan that would include Tristan Thompson according to Joe Vardon of cleveland.com.
In addition to Thompson, the Cavaliers could possibly add their own first-round pick or the Nets first round pick in a deal involving Jordan. The main question though is would Jordan be enough to get the Cavaliers on (or near) the Warriors level?
Jordan is averaging 10.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for the Clippers this season. However, Jordan’s numbers are down compared to last season, when he averaged 12.7 points, 13.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Jordan may be having a down year, but the Clippers team he plays on now is nowhere near as talented as in years past. A trade to a top contender may give Jordan a boost and motivation to play his best.
His presence would give the Cavaliers a legit rim protector and an inside force on the offensive end.
Obviously, the downfall of Jordan’s game is that he is strictly an inside player and is a poor free throw shooter. Over his career, Jordan is just a 43 percent foul shooter.
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However, the Cavaliers would know what they are getting in Jordan and would have a plan in place to use him to their advantage.
He would be an upgrade at center for sure. Thompson has his flashes of greatness with the Cavaliers, but Jordan is a star and one of the best centers in the NBA.
Besides, playing alongside LeBron James and Isaiah Thomas would benefit Jordan greatly. Right now in Los Angeles, Jordan is struggling because he is being relied upon to carry more of the load now that Chris Paul is gone.
With three other all-stars around Jordan, he will go back to the supporting role he is used to. Imagine a starting lineup of Thomas, J.R. Smith, LeBron, Love, and Jordan. That is one that would, at least on paper, be able to compete with the Warriors.
Just a week ago the Cavaliers got an up-close look at the skill set Jordan possesses. Against Cleveland’s undersized lineup Jordan had arguably his best performance of the season.
Now imagine what Jordan can do against the Warriors “small ball” lineup, especially if he is the fourth option. The attention of Golden State would mainly be on LeBron and Thomas, which would give Jordan the ability to get behind the defense and catch some easy lob passes.
Not only would Jordan be a factor on offense against the Warriors, but he would also be valuable on defense. If Golden State were to try and drive to the hoop, Jordan would be there to alter or block any shot around the rim.
It may be a bit presumptuous to be talking about what Jordan could do against the Warriors in the Finals. The main point to take away is that Jordan would help the Cavaliers and upgrade their roster right away.
Thompson on the other may also benefit from a change a scenery. He would be a piece the Clippers could build with, as he his under contract until 2020. The only potential sticking point would be the draft pick that could be involved in a Jordan/Thompson swap.
Cleveland may be hesitant to add the Nets’ pick to this deal, while the Clippers may only make this trade if the Nets’ potential high draft pick is included.
If the Cavaliers are able to deal with Jordan and keep the Nets pick, that would be yet another successful trade made by the front office. Even LeBron would surely be impressed by that.
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Jordan to the Cavaliers would also re-establish Cleveland as the top team in the Eastern Conference. If the Cavaliers are willing to gamble on Jordan, who can be a free agent next summer, his addition would go a long way to help the team get back to the Finals.