Sixers Reportedly Emerging as Frontrunners to Land DeAndre Jordan

When the Philadelphia 76ers made their blockbuster trade to land James Harden at the trade deadline, they had to give up more than just Ben Simmons.

Giving up Simmons for a star wasn't hard, considering the three-time All-Star refused to play for the Sixers again. However, Philadelphia did have to give up some depth as they let go of their starting guard Seth Curry and Joel Embiid's backup, Andre Drummond.

Drummond appeared in 49 games for the Sixers this season. During his time in Philadelphia, he averaged six points and eight rebounds coming off the bench. 

Once the Sixers moved Drummond in the trade to land Harden, they were left with one true center in the rookie Charles Bassey and two forward/center hybrids in second-year prospect Paul Reed and the new veteran acquisition Paul Millsap.

All along, the Sixers were expected to add another big via free agency to try out to replace Drummond. Philadelphia added the veteran Willie Cauley-Stein through a ten-day contract. It's unclear what the future holds for Stein, but it seems the Sixers are beginning to look elsewhere for Drummond's replacement already.

DeAndre Jordan on the Radar?

Following a two-year stint with the Brooklyn Nets, DeAndre Jordan found himself traded to the Detroit Pistons this past offseason. A few days later, he was waived. Two days after hitting the free agency market, Jordan signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The veteran's time in Los Angeles hasn't been ideal. In 32 games, Jordan averaged 12 minutes on the floor. During that time, he put up just four points per game while coming down with five rebounds. 

At this point, it's become clear that Jordan's stint in LA will be short-lived. On Monday night, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Lakers intend to waive Jordan. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN followed up Charania's report by pinpointing the Sixers as frontrunners to land the soon-to-be waived center.

"The Philadelphia 76ers are emerging as front-runners to acquire center DeAndre Jordan either as a waiver claim or a free-agent signing, sources told ESPN on Monday."

If the Sixers were to acquire the former All-Star, it would reunite Jordan and Sixers head coach Doc Rivers for the first time since the Los Angeles Clippers' 2017-2018 run. Jordan might not bring the same value as Drummond -- but he could be a slight upgrade for what the Sixers have now as there are still question marks at the big man position behind the MVP candidate, Joel Embiid. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.