It appears DeAndre Jordan might miss one of his old teammates.
Jordan is expected to be one of the most prominent trade options come the Feb. 8 deadline. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks have been rumored to be possible destinations for Jordan, but the Los Angeles Clippers center reportedly is eyeing a team in the Western Conference.
During Tuesday’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith gave his two cents on Monday night’s melee between the Clippers and Houston Rockets, which might have centered around Chris Paul. The star point guard, who was traded to Houston in the offseason, reportedly wasn’t very well-liked by his former Clipper teammates.
But according to Smith, the resentment towards Paul wasn’t universal within Los Angeles’ locker room.
“Everbody didn’t hate playing with him (Paul),” Smith said. “You got Luc Mbah a Moute that is with the Houston Rockets, he was with the Clippers last year. You got DeAndre Jordan, who wants to get traded to the Houston Rockets. I’m telling you what I heard.
“There are guys that get along with (Paul) and obviously everybody was better playing with Chris.”
There’s no doubt the Rockets present a much greater opportunity than the Clippers at present. Los Angeles, with its myriad of injuries, is a fringe playoff team, while Houston appears to be able to pose a real challenge to the Golden State Warriors in the West.
However, given the growing tension between the two teams, it’s hard to imagine the Clippers would trade a player of Jordan’s caliber to a fierce rival. And for Houston, unloading a bevy of assets for a player who won’t really help you beat the Warriors doesn’t make much sense.
No one could blame Jordan for wanting out of L.A., but it seems unlikely the star big man will have his trade wish granted.
