After disappointing loss in Game 7 to the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Clippers must decide where to go from here. The team has mainstay stars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin along with a few expiring contracts and holes that need to be adjusted. While the Clippers do not need to sell of the roster and rebuild after a few disappointing playoff runs, adjustments must be made if they are going to improve for the upcoming season. The first issue to address is the future of DeAndre Jordan.
Jordan has flourished under head coach Doc Rivers, shooting 71 percent and averaging 11.5 points per game. He also finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. As he prepares to be an unrestricted free agent, Jordan has set himself up to get a max contract which could be to the tune of five years and $108 million if it comes from the Clippers.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Clippers are making Jordan's return a priority and will give him the max contract. Rivers told the media, "You can't take anything for granted, but DJ loves being a Clipper." Jordan confirmed that by telling ESPN he has a lot of loyalty to the franchise since he has been there for seven years. However, plenty of teams will be aiming to give him a big contract as well and make Jordan the star of the team. The Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and New York Knicks are expected to make a big run at the center, but can only offer to give him a four-year, $80.7 million deal per NBA rules.
Los Angeles has no cap room to spare in the upcoming season which means they are limited in how they can improve. According to ESPN.com, if Jordan were to leave, other players could be gone as well. Matt Barnes and Jamal Crawford have easy contracts to cut. Spencer Hawes could easily be traded since he was barely anything for the team this season. According to USA Today, the Clippers want to re-sign Austin Rivers, but the 22-year-old would be cheap. The Clippers are also eyeing players like Wesley Matthews and Kevin Durant, but need cap space to work with first.
"We have to get this team more support," Rivers said, via the Los Angeles Times. "With the contracts we're hamstrung with, it's going to be minimum deals for the most part. There are no big deals out there that we're going to make, most likely."
