Getty Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka.
The Los Angeles Lakers have become the subject of many jokes since adding so many veterans this offseason. Even those inside NBA front offices cannot resist taking a jab at the Lakers’ older roster.
The Lakers have been linked to Nets center DeAndre Jordan if the big man receives a buyout from Brooklyn. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto relayed an Eastern Conference executive’s comments throwing shade in the direction of the Lakers “AARP squad.”
“I hope the Nets buy him out so he can join the Lakers’ AARP squad,” the front office member noted. “Better yet, the LAARP. I’ve never seen a roster like this.”
Jordan Is ‘Increasingly Unlikely’ to be on the Nets Roster for the 2021-22 Season: Report
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Nets are working on reaching a buyout agreement with Jordan. The NBA insider labeled Jordan’s chances of being on the Nets 2021-22 roster “increasingly unlikely.”
“Center DeAndre Jordan and the Nets are working toward parting ways via contract buyout, sources tell me and our Nets reporter Alex Schiffer,” Charania noted. “Jordan is increasingly unlikely to be part of the organization moving forward, but the sides have not made a final decision. Jordan did not appear in the Nets’ last 16 games of the 2020-21 season and playoffs.”
The Lakers Have Been Labeled a Potential Suitor for Jordan
As is often the case with buyout players, the Lakers have been labeled a top potential suitor for Jordan. Most recently, the Lakers added Andre Drummond last season after he was bought out by the Pistons, but the center’s short time in Los Angeles came with mixed results.
“One suitor to keep an eye on, sources said, should DeAndre Jordan and the Brooklyn Nets reach a contract buyout: the Los Angeles Lakers,” Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer tweeted.
Durant & Irving Took Less Money to Allow the Nets to Sign Jordan
Jordan averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.6 assists in 21.9 minutes per game last season. When Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the Nets in 2019, Jordan was a player the two superstars targeted to join them in Brooklyn. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the two stars took less money to allow the Nets to sign Jordan.
“Free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are taking less than the max to allow DeAndre Jordan to get the $10M annual salary with Brooklyn, league sources tell ESPN,” Wojnarowski tweeted on June 30, 2019.
The Lakers big man rotation remains in flux given the uncertain future of Marc Gasol. Dwight Howard is expected to play a key role in the Lakers rotation this upcoming season, but the team remains thin at center. Former NBA player Jamal Crawford explained why Durant and Irving made Jordan a top priority in their pitch to the Nets front office.
“There’s always one guy on the team that everybody’s energy is drawn toward, and he was that guy,” Crawford told Bleacher Report in December 2019. “People see how fiery he is, but he has another side where he’s very calm and understanding. You felt like he was the big brother. He’d put his arm around you and say, ‘Everything will be all right.'”