Nets, Lakers Continue Arms Race: DeAndre Jordan to Sign With LA, LaMarcus Aldridge Returns to Brooklyn

(Photo : Sarah Stier/Getty Images) NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DeAndre Jordan (#6) of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the second half against the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center on April 23, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

A flurry of deals that transpired in the National Basketball Association last week saw the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers further bolster their star-studded lineups with LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan, respectively.

The first domino fell when the Nets traded Jordan to the Detroit Pistons in a cost-saving move for the Brooklyn franchise. Apart from Jordan, the Nets sent $5.78 million in cash to Detroit, and four future second-round picks.

Those include Brooklyn's second-rounders in 2022 and 2027, the more favorable second-round pick between the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies in 2024, and the more favorable second-rounder between the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards in 2025.

Nets save cash in Jordan deal

In exchange, the Nets got Jahlil Okafor and Sekou Doumbouya from the Pistons. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Detroit gave a huge service to the Nets, who will save around $47 million in salary and tax money in the deal.

The Nets were facing a cash crunch with the huge salaries of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving as part of the $306.4 million they were on the hook for in the 2021-22 season. Letting go of Jordan was an obvious choice for the Nets, given he had fallen out of favor with head coach Steve Nash.

Jordan saw just five minutes and four seconds of action in the Nets' final six games, and he didn't appear in the playoffs as well, with Nash preferring a smaller and faster lineup in the postseason.

However, Jordan's stay in Detroit didn't last long as the two parties, later on, agreed on a contract buyout. According to the Athletic's Sham Charania, the Pistons will waive Jordan and allow him to be a free agent after he agreed to give back $4 million in a buyout of the $19.7 million remaining on his deal.

Jordan moves back to LA, Aldridge returns to Brooklyn

Jordan already has a new team for the 2021-22 season, though, with the Los Angeles Lakers expected to sign him to a one-year, $2.6 million deal after he clears waivers with the Pistons. He will return to the city of Los Angeles, where he spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career as a Clipper.

The Nets also moved to bolster their frontcourt as they re-signed LaMarcus Aldridge to a one-year, $2.6 million veteran minimum contract deal. Aldridge retired last April after appearing in just five games with Brooklyn due to an irregular heartbeat. He was given the clearance by doctors, however, to resume his NBA career this coming season.

Aldridge played in just 26 games last season between his time with the Nets and Spurs, averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing while shooting 47.3 percent from the field.