Report: Clippers pursuing young players, picks for Jordan, Williams
The Los Angeles Clippers aren't done yet.
Minutes after reportedly agreeing to ship power forward Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons, the Clippers are still looking to acquire young players or draft picks in trade talks for center DeAndre Jordan and guard Lou Williams, reports ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Fellow NBA executives also believe Los Angeles will ramp up trade talks for the pair after sending Griffin to Detroit, according to Yahoo Sports' Chris Mannix.
Despite reportedly exploring deals for Jordan after shipping Griffin, their two longest-tenured players, the Clippers aren't interested in tanking or a full-blown rebuild, Wojnarowski adds. Instead, Los Angeles intends to get younger while remaining competitive (they're one game behind the Denver Nuggets for the final Western Conference playoff spot).
Any deal involving Jordan would require substantial salary to be moved the other way. The 29-year-old is earning $22.6 million this season and has a $24.1-million player option for next season. Jordan is averaging 11.9 points and 14.8 rebounds in his 10th NBA season, all of them with the Clippers.
Williams may not hold the same star power as either Griffin or Jordan, though the guard may be the most enticing trade target for interested teams. The 31-year-old is scoring a career-high 23.5 points per game but is only earning $7 million this season. He's also set to become a free agent this summer.
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