Washington Wizards: Could a DeAndre Jordan Trade Work?

As the NBA Trade Deadline approaches, the Washington Wizards have reportedly been interested in center DeAndre Jordan. Could a trade to Washington work?

As the NBA Trade Deadline approaches, the Washington Wizards have reportedly been interested in trading for Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. But could a trade to Washington work out?

There’s certainly a need there. Aside from bench players, a big need for the Washington Wizards is an offensive-focused center. Current center Marcin Gortat is fine, if unremarkable, and he’s getting ready to retire.

Gortat is having the worst year of his career so far, averaging 9.0 points per game, his lowest since becoming a regular starter in the NBA, and 8.2 rebounds per game, his lowest since the 2010-11 season.

More from Washington Wizards

Jordan, on the other hand, is still a force down low. So far this year, he’s averaging 11.8 points per game and 14.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 66.1% from the floor. The rebounding is something the Washington Wizards could certainly use.

The Wizards don’t necessarily their center to score loads of points per game, John Wall and Bradley Beal do just fine with that, but what they do need is support down low and a rebounding presence. DeAndre Jordan could provide just that.

So what kind of a deal would the Washington Wizards have to offer to the Clippers to get Jordan? It certainly wouldn’t be cheap, and it would probably require a mix of a few different players.

The Wizards could potentially send either Gortat or Ian Mahinmi to the Clippers, though obviously, they wouldn’t be the focus of the deal. Of the two, Gortat makes the most sense, he’s better and cheaper than Mahinmi, and his contract ends sooner.

The focus of the deal, however, would have to be either Kelly Oubre or some serious draft picks. Oubre has been excellent for the Wizards this year, averaging 12.1 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, and shooting 44.2% from the field with a 40% three-point percentage. He’s also just 22-years-old.

If not Oubre, Otto Porter could potentially be a part of the deal as well, though given the large contract he signed this past offseason, that might be difficult for the Clippers to handle.

The Wizards would also likely have to toss in some draft picks. If they don’t trade Oubre, they’d likely have to trade some serious future picks, however if Oubre is part of the deal, lower picks or another player like Markieff Morris could make sense as well.

Next: The Evolution of Kelly Oubre

If the Wizards do end up trading for Jordan, they will all of a sudden become a serious force to be reckoned with in the NBA. Jordan would make an excellent weapon for Wall to use, whether in pick and rolls or alley-oops, and he could be the piece the Wizards need to make a deep playoff run.

Home/Washington Wizards