DeAndre Jordan to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers
Just five days after verbally committing to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, highly-sought after free agent center DeAndre Jordan has re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the world of NBA free agency, your word is typically your bond, but Jordan was reportedly having second thoughts about agreeing to join the Mavericks, and officially broke his bond with them on Wednesday night. Jordan talked with Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers about his indecision over the weekend, prompting the Clippers to send multiple players and staff to Jordan’s home in Houston, Texas on Wednesday night in an effort to persuade him to re-sign with them.
Going into the meeting at Jordan’s house, the mood in the room was that the Clippers were very close to re-signing him. Therefore, the meeting was very short and went smoothly, likely because Jordan had already made up his mind by the time the Clippers’ “Recruiting Squad”, which consisted of Rivers, owner Steve Ballmer, and multiple players including Paul Pierce and Blake Griffin, swung by. Ballmer stayed with Jordan until midnight, when the NBA’s moratorium period came to an end. Soon after the clock struck 12, Jordan signed a contract agreeing to a 4-year, max contract worth nearly $88 million, officially extending his tenure as a Los Angeles Clipper.
Mavericks fans, players, and owner Mark Cuban will be justifiably upset over Jordan’s flip-flopping of decisions. They were about to land one of 2015’s top free agents, and when they heard of the Clippers’ meeting with Jordan, they tried to reach out to him through a phone call, only to be purposefully avoided by Jordan himself. Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons lashed out at Jordan on twitter after hearing the news he had re-signed with the Clippers:
26-year-old Jordan was an integral part of the Clippers’ 2015 campaign where they were ousted from the playoffs after a game 7 loss to the Houston Rockets, averaging 11.5 points, 15 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks while shooting 71% in 34.4 minutes per game. He also led the league in field goal percentage and rebounds, while joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only players ever to shoot over 70% FG in a season. For his efforts, he was selected to the All-Defensive 1st team and the All-NBA 3rd team.
It is still unclear what caused Jordan to change his mind about joining the Mavericks, but either way his decision could signal the end of the NBA moratorium period. Mark Cuban and the entire Mavericks organization feel cheated by the system, as they would have likely signed Jordan by now had they been able to sign him to an official contract rather than receiving a verbal commitment, and there may be calls for reform to the free agency window.