The Cleveland Cavaliers have continued their strong play and have moved within just two games of the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference lead. They are winning big, even with Derrick Rose still sidelined with an injury, Dwyane Wade getting rest to remain healthy and Isaiah Thomas not scheduled to return until at least the Christmas Day game against the Golden State Warriors.
However, the Cavaliers still want to improve their roster as they head through the season and Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders claims that a trade is in the works to bring DeAndre Jordan to Cleveland.
What are the Cavaliers preparing to offer for DeAndre Jordan?
The Los Angeles Clippers are falling behind quick, with an 11-18 record in the Western Conference and 3.5 games out of the playoff race. WIth Blake Griffin injured, the Clippers are looking towards the future and DeAndre Jordan looks to be up for grabs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have some interesting pieces they can offer for Jordan, none of which would hurt the team this year although one of the pieces could hurt Cleveland if LeBron James leaves after the season comes to a close.
In order to bring DeAndre Jordan to town, it looks like the Cavaliers are willing to offer up their reserve center Tristan Thompson, shooting guard Iman Shumpert and their first-round draft pick in 2018.
What would this mean for the Cavaliers?
Straight up, this means the Cleveland Cavaliers are going all-in for this season and another NBA title. The original reports indicated that the draft pick was the one Cleveland holds from the Brooklyn Nets, but that turned out to be wrong. The Nets pick could help the Cavaliers replace LeBron James if he leaves town. Trading that pick would mean that they wouldn't have a high draft pick to protect themselves if LeBron departs.
However, adding a superstar like DeAndre Jordan to an All-Pro like Isaiah Thomas could be enough to make that worth it for the Cavaliers.
Add in the Nets draft pick and Cleveland could be good enough to compete in the Eastern Conference next year.
As for the players, losing Tristan Thompson wouldn't hurt that bad. This season, Thompson has struggled with injuries and only averages 3.9 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. DeAndre Jordan is averaging 11 points and 14.8 rebounds, a clear upgrade even if Kevin Love also leaves Cleveland.
DeAndre Jordan led the NBA in field goal percentage from 2013 through 2016, so he would be an immediate asset for the Cleveland Cavaliers and with Isaiah Thomas about to return, could make the Cavaliers the best team in the NBA, surpassing the Golden State Warriors.