DeAndre Jordan: Clippers Would Be Wise Not to Trade Away Star Center

The Los Angeles Clippers must ensure that they don't end up trading away star center DeAndre Jordan like the rumors suggest before the 2013 trade deadline.

Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears from Yahoo! Sports had originally reported that Jordan was being touted as a potential trade asset along with guard Eric Bledsoe to get Boston Celtics star Kevin Garnett to waive his no-trade clause.

That rumor died down a little with the notion that Garnett wanted to "die green" in Boston, but according to latest reports from Sean Deveney of SportingNews.com, the 24-year-old center could well be back on the trading block before the deadline closes.

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"Del Negro and Jordan have frequently clashed over playing time, the source said, and there is a chance he could be moved before Thursday’s deadline for a veteran big man, even if it is not in a deal for Garnett," he wrote. "Before the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Anderson Varejao got injured, the Clippers had inquired about him." 

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No potential suitors have come forward for Jordan yet, but regardless, the Clippers need to make sure that they do not part with their star center any time soon.

At 24, Jordan has a huge upside in LA that will only continue to get better by featuring alongside Blake Griffin in a power-attack, with Chris Paul feeding the pair from the backcourt. Few other teams can offer Jordan that duo of players with the same proven success that Jordan has—especially given he's already shown he can work extremely well alongside the Clippers' pair.

At some point, his athleticism will hit its peak and Jordan's value will then diminish, for it is his athleticism that keeps him as an elite basketballer.

But that moment of peak athleticism doesn't look to be coming any time soon. Jordan is freakishly talented and is improving all the time, and at just 24, he still has plenty of time before the moment when he has hit the best he is ever going to be.

At that time, the Clippers will no doubt explore trading him—especially given the mega-dollars they're likely to be paying him by that point. But at the moment, with the ceiling still high on Jordan's potential, a trade isn't the right move to make.

Granted, Vinny Del Negro doesn't have a whole lot of other trade options at the moment, and Jordan is one of the few assets who could yield some good rewards.

But he isn't worth parting with just yet. 

The Clippers still have not yet seen the best from Jordan and what he can achieve, and they'd be foolish to let him go before the star center started to hit his peak.

Do you think DeAndre Jordan should be traded away in 2013?

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