Milwaukee Bucks remain interested in DeAndre Jordan, center trades

According to reports, the Milwaukee Bucks are keen on adding another big man to their frontcourt, with DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers reportedly topping their list of targets.

As if the last couple of days weren’t filled with enough roster moves, the Milwaukee Bucks are seemingly determined to improve their roster, only this time potentially coming at a higher cost and higher profile.

In his recent column on the status of the trade market one month out before this year’s trade deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski touched on the future of Los Angeles Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan, which included another mention of the Bucks’ long reported interest in potentially acquiring the 29-year-old:

"“Because so few elite teams, if any, play through the center position offensively, there’s less of an urgency to exhaust trade assets on Jordan before seeing who else might join the trade market. Milwaukee has been determined to find a center, and Jordan tops the Bucks’ list, but it’s unclear whether they have a package to eventually make the deal.”"

Of course, the sustained interest the Bucks have in Jordan is the headlining takeaway here, but Wojnarowski also mentions the team’s need in boosting their thin frontcourt currently comprised of John Henson and Thon Maker.

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It should come as no surprise that the Bucks still hold an interest in adding the All-Star center, considering they’ve already been more aggressive in Jon Horst’s young tenure as the team’s general manager.

However, what makes this update on their interest in Jordan different than ones in the past is where Jordan’s current team stands at the moment.

When the first details of the Bucks’ interest in Jordan bubbled up over a month ago, the Clippers’ season looked dead in the water, with the numerous injury-prone players they have on their roster already dinged up with various ailments.

Now the Clippers have rebounded in a big way and stand outside of the still premature playoff picture in the Western Conference at 17-21 and through all of their injuries, Jordan remains one of their most durable, high impact players they currently have.

Related Story: Bucks to reportedly sign Sean Kilpatrick, waive Joel Bolomboy

So as we look at it from a Bucks perspective, the ball is still very much in the Clippers’ court in whether they actually want to pull the trigger on a potential Jordan deal and as Wojnarowski hit on in the following paragraph, the current market value regarding a potential return for Jordan isn’t too desirable from their point of view:

"“The Clippers aren’t set on trading Jordan at all costs, because the idea of bringing back marginal draft picks with heavy protections and so-so talent in a trade is far too unappealing.”"

Unless the Bucks decide to part with any of their core pieces or further clear out their cupboard of draft picks/assets, especially for a player who could opt out of his contract this summer, Monday’s update on the current status of Jordan’s availability and the Bucks’ interest in him paints a clear picture for why a deal still remains a distant possibility.

As Jordan currently stands as the Bucks’ proverbial white whale, their interest in adding a third big man to their frontcourt stands as the biggest thread hanging as we inch closer and closer to the trade deadline. The Bucks have interesting mechanisms at their disposal, the biggest being a $5 million trade exception they generated as part of the Roy Hibbert deal they swung with the Denver Nuggets at last year’s trade deadline.

However, their move yesterday to (eventually) tie down Sean Kilpatrick to the roster spot they opened up after waiving both Joel Bolomboy and DeAndre Liggins before that, the Bucks would obviously have to clear a roster spot to take in a player who piques their interest (looking at you, Rashad Vaughn).

Next: Win In 6 Podcast #174: Making sense of end of roster moves

With just a month separating us from now and the deadline, expect to hear plenty of updates over big men who the Bucks carry a level of interest in. The question will be whether they try to swing for the fences and pursue a center in the vein of Jordan’s caliber, or the more attainable route in finding a big who can serve on a more supporting, role player basis.