The Brooklyn Nets were unwilling to include center DeAndre Jordan in the deal that sent Spencer Dinwiddie to the Wizards.
The Nets and Wizards worked out a complex deal to send Spencer Dinwiddie from Brooklyn to Washington, but DeAndre Jordan was not part of the equation.
Brooklyn got an $11.4 million trade exemption from the sign-and-trade deal, which ultimately involved five teams. They might have gotten more if they had been willing to include Jordan.
According to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, the team tried to get Deni Advija from the Wizards and had the chance to go after Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Montrezl Harrell. They were uninterested in some of those players and unwilling to sweeten the pot to the degree they’d need to.
Winfield specifically reported that Jordan was not made available in considerations because “his bond with the Brooklyn Big 3 is too strong.”
The Nets didn’t trade DeAndre Jordan because of his bond with the Big 3
That’s a bit of a surprise because Jordan’s name has been floated on the trade block, according to other reports.
Jordan signed with the Nets in 2019 and still has two years left on his deal. He’s set to make just under $10 million per season over the remainder of his contract.
His role with the team greatly diminished over the course of last season, making that deal look unbalanced. He started 43 times over the regular season averaging 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 21.9 minutes per game. However, he didn’t appear in any playoff games.
Since the team re-signed Blake Griffin, it doesn’t seem likely Jordan will suddenly take on a bigger role in 2021-22.
Perhaps a bigger return for Jordan would give the Nets better reason to trade him. That bond with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving could negate the appeal of future offers as well.