Clippers willing to move Chris Kaman

The optimism from rival teams heard this week about the Los Angeles Clippers making 2010 All-Star Chris Kaman available before the Feb. 24 trading deadline -- thanks to the fast-moving rise of Blake Griffin's buddy DeAndre Jordan -- was not debunked Thursday by a source familiar with the Clips' thinking.

But there is a disclaimer: L.A. is saying, at least for now, that it is likely to keep Kaman through the deadline unless moving him results in a clear upgrade at small forward.

An upgrade with a reasonable contract, that is.

That presumably rules out a move for the long-term deals of Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala or Charlotte's Gerald Wallace. Detroit's Tayshaun Prince, with an expiring contract valued at $11.1 million, fits the Clips' parameters better, but the Pistons -- despite their longstanding fondness for the former Central Michigan center -- could well lack the financial flexibility they'd need themselves to take in Kaman (owed $12.2 million in 2011-12) until the sale of the team goes through.

What's clear is that Jordan's in-house stock has risen dramatically and that maintaining the financial flexibility to re-sign him, with restricted free agency looming in July and the threat of big offer sheets that they'd have to match, is high on the Clips' to-do list. The fact that Jordan and Griffin got so friendly over the summer -- with the added benefit of lifting Jordan's on-court productivity -- only makes keeping them together more of a priority.