The Brooklyn Nets have reportedly traded center DeAndre Jordan to the Detroit Pistons. The deal will also see the Pistons receiving four second-round picks while sending veteran Jahlil Okafor and 2019’s first-round pick Sekou Doumbouya to Brooklyn in exchange.
However, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jordan is not expected to suit up for the Pistons. The two sides are close to reaching a buyout agreement that would allow the player to sign with another team. After this happens, the 33-year-old big man will most likely join the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jordan still has two years left on a four-year, $40 million deal he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
Brooklyn were motivated to trade Jordan purely from a financial standpoint. The deal saves them close to $50 million in salary and tax while also giving them some flexibility in terms of the salary cap.
Pistons, on the other hand, move on from two players that never managed to carve a significant role on their team. But the true value for Detroit is the picks that will help them during their ongoing rebuilding process.
DeAndre Jordan joined the Nets as part of the free agency that also saw the franchise land All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Reportedly, Durant and Irving played a key role in bringing Jordan to Brooklyn at the time and even gave up some money so the team could sign him. However, Jordan failed to impress in the Nets’ jersey, averaging just 7.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in the past two seasons.
