“Lakers saw half a year of Andre Drummond and did this?”: NBA Twitter melts down after DeAndre Jordan clears waivers with Pistons after trade from Nets, signs with LeBron James and co

DeAndre Jordan has landed on the Los Angeles Lakers alongside LeBron James and a roster with 59 other All-Star appearances.

Jordan began his professional career in Los Angeles, drafted by the Clippers as a 2nd round pick. The 7’1″ center made some massive strides, putting his immense athleticism and motor to great effect.

DJ’s best years as an NBA player came alongside Blake Griffin and the Point God, Chris Paul on the Lob City team. This was one of the most entertaining sides in the league, regularly featuring highlight plays by the big man.

Jordan earned two All-NBA Third Team nods during his time in LA and an All-Star Game appearance in 2017. However, once the Chris Paul trade and the Blake Griffin trade were finalized, it was apparent that his time there was up.

DeAndre Jordan was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, for whom he started a bunch of games alongside rookie Luka in 2018-19. He was sent in a midseason trade to the New York Knicks that year.

DJ signed as a free agent with the Brooklyn Nets in July 2019 alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. He was still playing starter-caliber basketball in 2019-20, but he had a marked decline last year – especially on defense.

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Ultimately, Steve Nash decided not to give him minutes in the playoffs, and the writing on the wall was clear. Jordan was traded by the Nets to the Pistons in exchange for Jahlil Okafor, Sekou Doumbouya and draft compensation.

NBA Twitter melts down after DeAndre Jordan signs with LeBron James and Lakers

Jordan has signed with the LA Lakers for a 1-year, $2.6 million veteran’s minimum deal. This means that the Lakers now have 11 players aged 32 or older on their roster for next season. This signing also brings up the career All-Star selection count on their roster to an NBA record of 60!

NBA Twitter is understandably abuzz in the wake of this news. In truth, this move was long in the works and in people’s mentions, but the finality of it is now sinking in.

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Buried behind a lineup of Anthony Davis, Marc Gasol and Dwight Howard, who’ve also been All-NBA talents at some point, Jordan won’t be expected to play major minutes. He can, however, be an energy presence and a glue guy on the bench. Both are roles he’s played well in the past.