For DeAndre Jordan, despite the Clippers’ decision to shake up the roster, despite the countless times his name has appeared in trade rumors, despite losing two All-Star players in the matter of eight months, his focus remains clear: Staying with the Clippers for the long run.
“I’m here and that’s what I’m focused on,” Jordan told Yahoo Sports. “I’m excited. Like I told somebody the other day, I hope I can play another 10 years here. That’s what I’m focused on now.”
The Clippers explored trades involving Jordan at the NBA’s February 8 trading deadline, but ultimately elected to keep the 29-year-old in town — this coming just two years after the organization put the full-court press on retaining him in the summer of 2015.
“My name has been mentioned [in trades] for the past few years. So I’m not really tripping on that,” Jordan told Yahoo Sports. “I really don’t give a [expletive] at this point. I’m just playing, man, staying locked into the game, playing as hard as I can for this organization because I love this team. And I love where we’re at and the group of guys that I’m playing with, so that’s what makes me happy.”
Regardless of the noise, regardless of the transition period, DeAndre Jordan hopes to stay with the Clippers for as long as possible. Currently, the team sits ninth in the Western Conference with a 33-28 record.
Jordan is coming off a 19-point, 20-rebound outing in a win against New York, once again proving his dominance and worth at the center position for the Clippers.
