Jordan was traded to the Pistons on Friday in a move designed to clear salary for a Nets team that was already deep into the luxury tax.
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DeAndre Jordan intends to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers once his buyout with the Detroit Pistons is formally completed and he clears waivers, according to multiple reports. Jordan was traded to the Pistons on Friday in a move designed to clear salary for a Nets team that was already deep into the luxury tax. The Pistons will pay the bulk of the $20 million remaining on his deal. The Lakers will pay Jordan his minimum salary of $2.6 million.
DeAndre Jordan is expected to sign a one-year, $2.6M deal with the Lakers, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/25bgHnqbrL
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 3, 2021
The Lakers suddenly have a fairly crowded center rotation. Reports have suggested that the Lakers plan to use Anthony Davis as a center more often this season. They already signed Dwight Howard earlier in the offseason to play a major role off of their bench. Marc Gasol is still technically on the roster as well.
On paper, Gasol is a far simpler fit for this roster than Jordan is. The addition of Russell Westbrook has forced the Lakers to emphasize shooting with their role players. Gasol is the only big man on the roster besides Davis that can hit 3-pointers. His passing was extremely valuable for Los Angeles last season.
Gasol arrived in L.A. with a championship pedigree from his time in Toronto and bloodlines linking him to the Lakers after his brother, Pau, teamed with Kobe Bryant to win two titles with the franchise. Originally, Gasol was named the starting center after signing a two-year contract worth slightly above the veteran’s minimum but struggled to find his shot in the early going, shooting just 40.3% from the field prior to the All-Star break.
The theory behind Jordan’s fit likely goes back to the 2020 championship team’s emphasis on physicality. The Lakers played Howard and JaVale McGee big minutes on that team. Jordan is stylistically similar to both. He can catch lobs, block shots and bang with other big bodies in the post so that Davis doesn’t need to as often. However, he struggled in such a role with the Nets. Also didn’t play a single postseason minute for them last season.
But Jordan is a revered locker room presence and was close friends with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. After losing Jared Dudley to the Mavericks in a coaching role, there is genuine value in adding a strong teammate like Jordan. He spent the first decade of his career in Los Angeles as a member of the Clippers. Now he will return there to don the purple and gold.
