A Wheeler's Opinion: Can Big Trades Save the Clippers' Season?

Trade Rumors are popping out surrounding DeAndre Jordan. Will the Clippers bite?

Over the past seasons, the Los Angeles Clippers have been ruling the Staples Center and have been playing well better than their cross-hall neighbor, the Lakers. 

In fact, the Clippers have been to the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons with Chris Paul at the point guard position and DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin manning up defenders in the shaded area. 

Although they haven't made any deep runs through the playoffs in those 7 playoff appearances, at least they were making the playoffs unlike the Lakers, right?

Fast forward to the 2017-2018 season. Chris Paul has gone to Houston to join James Harden with the Rockets. JJ Reddick is now shooting threes for Philadelphia. And yet, the Clippers had a promising 4-0 start. 

Then, things suddenly went south for the Clippers as they endured 9 consecutive defeats- a run they only ended with a victory against the Atlanta Hawks, one of the worst teams in the East. 

To make things even worse, injuries are beginning to pile up as Patrick Beverley has been ruled out for the rest of the season as the Clippers are already without starters Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic who are dealing with injuries as well.

Without three of their starters, the Clippers have gone from playoff-bound to potentially, a lottery-bound team as they are in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 6-11 record. Having said this, is this the right time for the Clippers to explore trade possibilities if they want their playoff streak to keep going?

Yes. But are they going to do it?

Over the past few days, trade rumors surrounding DeAndre Jordan have been making the rounds. In fact, rumors have it that multiple teams are inquiring about trade possibilities involving Jordan. 

The Clippers, on one hand, can use these trades tp upstart their rebuilding process because whether they admit it or not, they definitely need to rebuild their team. 

However, trading DeAndre Jordan would mean Blake Griffin would need to shoulder the load that Jordan is carrying at the moment because no matter who the Clippers will get in exchange for Jordan, it will take time for that player to blend in the offense of the Clippers. 

So yes, if there are trade offers, why not trade DeAndre Jordan?  But given the risk factors which includes Jordan's free throw shooting, it's definitely risky.

Conclusion

Make no mistake about it, folks. DeAndre Jordan is still among the West's dominant centers and any team would benefit from trading for him. 

Now, if the Clippers want to save their season and avoid being laughed at by Laker fans, now is the time to make that decision. Make the needed moves and make the team competitive again. Don't and you are bound to miss the playoffs for the first time in 7 seasons.