Veteran center Deandre Jordan already has his next home picked out.
Jordan, who was traded by the Nets on Friday to the Pistons and will soon be bought out, plans to sign with the Lakers upon clearing waivers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Upon formal completion of a buyout with the Detroit Pistons, center DeAndre Jordan intends to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. Jordan would have to first clear waivers to become a free agent.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2021
Jordan, 33, spent some of the best years of his career with the Clippers and has since played for the Mavericks, Knicks, and Nets. With the Lakers, he joins an already crowded center rotation that includes Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and presumably Marc Gasol.
However, Jordan joining the Lakers would seem to indicate that Gasol’s time with the team is coming to an end. Marc Stein reported in August that Gasol was “not a lock” to return to Los Angeles for next season. That’s despite Gasol having a $2.7 million in guaranteed salary for next year unless he retires.
The Lakers, meanwhile, would seem to be adding another center to do what Howard does: run the floor and play physical defense. It’s a formula that, alongside minutes where Davis plays the five, worked for them when they won the title in 2020. But can that same formula work this time around when spacing is going to be tighter and, presumably, the team needs to play Davis at the five more? It seems like the Lakers think so.