The Los Angeles Clippers suffered a big blow this offseason when DeAndre Jordan departed for the Dallas Mavericks. Jordan was the defensive star of the past few seasons, thriving under head coach Doc Rivers, but he opted to head to Texas in favor of a long-term contract and bigger role on the team. That leaves a huge hole for the Clippers to fill with most players swept off the market. So where does Los Angeles turn for help?
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Clippers are working to adjust who they will target after players like Robin Lopez and Greg Monroe were signed alongside Jordan. Wojnarowski reports that Amare Stoudemire, David West, JaVale McGee and Carlos Boozer will be targets in the coming days in order to replace Jordan. At the moment, the Clippers have no depth at the center position as Glen Davis and Ekpe Udoh remain the lone options on the roster. That means Los Angeles must begin to get aggressive in a deal.
West is likely considered the best available as interest is high after he opted out of the Indiana Pacers. According to WHTR.com, West is looking to sign with a contender which Los Angeles certainly fits that bill considering he can play alongside both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. West might not be as great of a shot blocker, but he offers the same type of skill set while being a better free throw shooter.
At 7'1, McGee might have the most long-term potential waiting to be exposed. Playing alongside veterans like Paul Pierce could help him get over that hump. The Clippers offer the same kind of offense McGee worked with in Denver with a pass-first point guard like Lawson. Paul would make things an easy transition. The interest in Stoudemire could be a last-resort type of deal. Not much has been heard of the power forward after he was picked up by Dallas. His injuries and low stats make him an odd option to replace someone like Jordan who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
The Clippers are likely keeping their fingers crossed that the reported trade of Roy Hibbert to the Lakers falls apart so they can make a move on the big man. They could also try and trade for Brendan Haywood if the deal between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets does not develop. Los Angeles does not have many other options in front of them and cannot afford to be picky at this point in time.