Lakers free agency rumors: Lakers would 'love' to sign DeAndre Jordan, according to report

The Los Angeles Clippers' aren't getting a chance to lick their wounds after losing Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Houston Rockets, dropping three games in a row after building a 3-1 series lead. The vultures are getting ready to pick on the corpse, and unrestricted free agent DeAndre Jordan is going to be the main target. The Los Angeles Lakers would "love to steal" Jordan this summer, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

Jordan will almost certainly command a maximum-level contract this summer. The Clippers own DeAndre's bird rights, allowing them a chance to offer him a five-year contract as early as July 1. Should Jordan decide he'd rather weigh his options on the open market, he can look to move on elsewhere.

The Lakers have been rotating bodies at center since Dwight Howard's departure, playing Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, Tarik Black and Robert Sacre at the five over the past two seasons. They've yet to find their center "of the future," and Jordan would provide a physical rim protector and rebounder behind Julius Randle.

DeAndre Jordan's free agency will be a story until he puts ink to paper, but it'd be surprising if the Clippers let him walk for nothing when their plan is to put the largest contract possible on the table on Day 1, as Shelburne reports. The Lakers -- barring some NBA Draft lottery luck -- will certainly look at their options at center this summer, but DeAndre looks like a tough target to pry out of the Clippers' hold.