DeAndre Jordan is the last man standing in Clipper Land after Blake Griffin, his best friend on the team, was traded to the Detroit Pistons at the deadline. Now the All-Star center is offering some thoughts on the move.
In an interview with Michael Lee of Yahoo! Sports that was published on Friday, Jordan discussed the Clippers’ recent roster makeover.
“I don’t think anything is too dramatic about it,” said the three-time All-NBA selection. “It was a lot going on. But I just tried to keep my head and roll with whatever happened.”
Jordan then proceeded to comment specifically on Griffin’s departure.
“It sucks because we were teammates for nine years, but the organization decided to go in a different direction and do what’s best for the future of the organization,” he said. “We can only respect that and continue to try to win games. We’re still going to remain friends, I think.”
Jordan also stated in the interview that he is “focused” on the Clippers and is hoping to stay with them for “another ten years.”
As he hinted at, Jordan has been with the team for his entire ten-year career, nine of which were spent next to Griffin in the frontcourt. Jordan, who can become a free agent after this season, was himself dangled by the Clippers at the trade deadline but ultimately remained with the team. Based on this latest interview, it sounds like his relationship with the Clippers is still salvageable, but the same definitely cannot be said of Griffin.
