The Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers have an interesting rivalry going on these past few years, with most of their recent games marred by heated confrontations, flagrant fouls, and ejections. However, these two teams are no strangers at making deals on the trading front. They have made some noteworthy transactions in the past and their front offices are somewhat linked because of former Clips executive and current Blazers general manager Neil Olshey.

DeAndre Jordan trade rumors

The Clippers found themselves in a tough spot early this season after dropping 11 of their first 17 games.

Worse, they just learned that starting point guard, Patrick Beverley, suffered a season-ending knee injury (torn meniscus in his right knee), leaving their backcourt rotation much less robust.

With the Clips’ campaign seemingly in trouble, trade chatters on DeAndre Jordan have also begun to surface. Despite his much-publicized less than adequate offensive arsenal and free-throw shooting woes, Jordan is the Clippers’ most valuable trade asset outside All-Star power forward Blake Griffin. Dangling Jordan in the trade market would normally command massive interest from multiple teams, especially contenders looking for elite rim protection.

Should Blazers explore trade for Jordan?

Ty Delbridge of FanSided floated a blockbuster trade involving the Clippers and Blazers with Jordan as the centerpiece of that deal.

In this hypothetical trade, the Clippers would send Jordan ($22 million salary for 2017-18 NBA season) and a 2019 second round pick to the Blazers in exchange for budding big man Jusuf Nurkic ($2.9 million / restricted free agent in 2018) and all-around player Evan Turner ($17 million).

While Jordan is by far a much better defensive player, Nurkic is a more polished offensive big man.

The Bosnian’s solid free-throw clip (66 percent) would give Doc Rivers the leeway to use him in clutch situations. At 23, Nurkic still has plenty of years ahead of him to improve his game and reach his full potential alongside Griffin. Moreover, Evans could turn out to be an underrated acquisition for the Clippers. He’s a stabilizing presence in the backcourt because of his ability to handle the ball and defend at both guard positions.

As for the Blazers, the addition of Jordan would dramatically boost the team’s overall defense. The super-athletic big man has been the most dominant defensive force in the paint over the last couple of years. Jordan’s rebounding and rim protection would complement the firepower they have in their backcourt, with Damian Lillard and C.J McCollum, turning the Blazers into a much well-rounded squad.

Trade candidates

Hoops Rumors writer Luke Adam predicted the Blazers to go over the cap next season unless they pull off another salary dump move. Portland’s guaranteed salaries for the 2018-19 season is projected at around $110 million, which is few million over the cap but just below the luxury tax threshold.

However, the figure doesn’t include a new deal for Nurkic, who is eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer. Re-signing Nurkic to a multi-year deal would put the Blazers over the cap and above the luxury tax limit. Owners of small-market teams like, the Blazers, would not be pleased having their pockets dug so deeply to pay luxury tax bills unless their teams were serious title contenders. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that another salary-dump transaction is in the works and it could involve Ed Davis’ expiring contract ($6.3 million), Meyers Leonard ($9 million) and Turner ($17 million).
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