NBA Trade Rumors 2018: Portland Trail Blazers Interested in Clippers Center DeAndre Jordan

By Noriel See, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Portland Trail Blazers seem to be in the market for a new center.

According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Blazers are among the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. However, Stein also noted that the Clippers have yet to receive an offer they like, so Jordan's not going anywhere as of the moment.

It's interesting to note that the Blazers already have a starting caliber center in Jusuf Nurkić. The Bosnian big man is averaging 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocks in under 28 minutes this season while shooting 47.1 percent from the field.

Nurkić has been posting solid numbers, but he has been frustratingly inconsistent throughout the season and Blazers head coach Terry Stotts would often bench him in the fourth quarter. Jordan would be an upgrade over him, especially on the defensive end of the floor.

Meanwhile, a lot of observers have already pointed out that Portland will likely include Nurkić in the package for Jordan if they do swing a deal with the Clippers because there is no way both players can co-exist in the front court. The Denver Nuggets tried to play Nurkić together with Nikola Jokić before they shipped him to Portland and it just didn't work.

Aside from Nurkić, the Blazers will also have to include more players in the deal to balance the salaries. Some have mentioned Evan Turner, Mo Harkless or Meyers Leonard, but CBS Sports' Colin Ward-Henninger has suggested packaging Nurkić together with C.J. McCollum to acquire Jordan and Lou Williams.

Well, that deal seems lopsided in the Clippers' favor because McCollum is under contract through the 2020–21 season.

In any case, Jordan should fit into the Blazers' system seamlessly since he doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. But he's going to be difficult to acquire.