The Clippers Thought They Were Close To A DeAndre Jordan Deal With Cleveland

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While it wasn’t a massive shock considering some of the news that came out of Los Angeles in the days leading up to the trade deadline, it was still a little surprising that DeAndre Jordan wasn’t moved anywhere before Thursday at 3 p.m. Jordan’s name had popped up in trade talks all year, but the Clippers ultimately decided they were going to hang onto their franchise center.

As it turns out, the team thought it was going to get a deal done. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Clippers were under the impression they were “close” to coming to terms on a move with the team that most frequently popped up in Jordan rumors: The Cleveland Cavaliers.

The pieces were in place Thursday, and the Los Angeles Clippers thought they were close to a deal that would have sent starting center DeAndre Jordan to the Cavaliers, when news surfaced of the blockbuster trade that Cleveland instead had with the Lakers, sources have told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

With how the Clippers prioritized getting a draft pick and/or young players back in a deal for Jordan, the Cavaliers likely would have needed to part with their 2018 first-round draft pick to grab Jordan. Of course, that ended up going to the Lakers in the deal that brought Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to Cleveland.

Assuming the Cavaliers had no plans to move Brooklyn’s pick in any move, which had been reported for weeks leading up to the deadline, it stands to reason that they decided to flip their pick to the Lakers instead of the Clippers. Who knows if that will end up being the right decision on Cleveland’s end, but it certainly is a tough break for Los Angeles’ “other” team.

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