The Los Angeles Lakers are in hot pursuit of acquiring the most premier big man in the NBA, reportedly ramping up their efforts to make a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans to trade for Anthony Davis.
Whether or not the Lakers are able to get a deal done for Davis by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline remains to be seen. No matter how it turns out, the Lakers could be active in the buyout market or perhaps in other trades.
One name that could be an option for the Lakers is New York Knicks big man DeAndre Jordan, according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times (h/t Christian Rivas of Silver Screen and Roll).
Jordan would like to return to Los Angeles, and he’s still close with coach Doc Rivers. Some NBA scouts believe a pairing with the Lakers, perhaps next summer, makes sense for Jordan, too.
Jordan spent 10 seasons with the Clippers before joining the Dallas Mavericks via free agency last summer. He was then involved in the recent trade for Kristaps Porzingis.
The Knicks are tanking, so Jordan could be a buyout candidate or perhaps the Lakers can get him on a cheaper deal in the offseason, as Woike suggests. If it happened, Jordan would provide the Lakers an athletic big man that would finish plenty of opportunities presented by LeBron James and company. Lakers head coach Luke Walton and his staff have shown they can get the most out of players on the defensive side of the ball, so Jordan could be a welcome addition there as well.
For now, though, it is all speculation. It’s safe to say that any other roster moves will have to wait until the situation with Davis has reached a resolution, one way or another.
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