NBA Trade Rumors: According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, DeAndre Jordan wants to be traded to the Houston Rockets
DeAndre Jordan is a name that has been in the NBA’s rumor mill lately, and it’s expected to continue to pop up in the week’s leading up to the trade deadline.
The LA Clippers could elect to move Jordan before next month’s deadline, especially if they don’t plan on paying him the big money that he’s going to demand in the free agent market this summer, but that decision hasn’t reportedly been made.
Interestingly, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, on Tuesday’s edition of First Take, said that there’s one place where Jordan is hoping to land if he gets traded before the deadline. It’s…the Houston Rockets.
DeAndre Jordan wants to be traded to the Houston Rockets. (Via Stephen A. Smith - ESPN)
— Clevis Murray (@ClevisMurray) January 16, 2018
To make things even more tasty, it was reported a couple months ago that the Clippers and Rockets nearly made such a deal last season. According to a report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Clippers nearly OK’d a deal that would’ve send Jordan to the Rockets in exchange for Clint Capela and others.
Now, don’t bet on these two teams coming together to strike a deal ahead of the trade deadline.
Not because the Clippers won’t want to deal with Houston, but because the Rockets have thrived this season with Capela manning the center position.
This season, Capela is averaging a career high 14 points, 11 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game. He’s also shooting an impressive 67 percent from the field.
This numbers are nearly identical to what Jordan has done this season. He’s averaging 12 points and 15 rebounds for LA. Although, Capela is only on Houston’s books for $2 million this season, and will be a lot less to re-sign than it will to do so with Jordan, who is expected to demand a max contract on the open market.
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Despite losing to the Clippers Monday night, Houston is quickly becoming an attractive destination for the top players. Last summer it was Chris Paul, now Jordan reportedly wants to be a part of what’s taking place in Houston.
Could LeBron be next?