DeAndre Jordan is headed to the Dallas Mavericks. He agreed to a five-year, $80 million contract with Mark Cuban’s club and will now take over as the franchise center.
Or will he?
Jordan agreed to terms on an $80 million deal with the Mavericks, but hasn’t signed anything. Friendship, history and a more lucrative contract are suddenly coming into play.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Chris Paul and the Clippers are making a late push to convince Jordan to stay with the team.
ESPN sources say Chris Paul has been pushing hard to change DeAndre Jordan's mind in recent days and is expected to join today's meeting
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 8, 2015
Welcome to free agency, where nothing is as it seems.
Paul has been criticized for being, “Too harsh,” on Jordan since his agreement with the Mavericks was announced. Suddenly, he’s become a key recruiter in attempting to keep DJ in L.A.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Paul won’t be alone in his meeting with Jordan:
Sources: Doc Rivers, Steve Ballmer, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce and JJ Redick are converging on Houston to meet with Jordan.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2015
Per Stein, the Clippers believe Jordan will be signing the dotted line and returning to Los Angeles.
Clips, I'm told, firmly believe they'll be bringing DeAndre Jordan back to LA on a plane tonight. This story, mind you, puts the F in fluid
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 8, 2015
Wojnarowski, the rumor guru, reported the same:
Sources: Conversations that Clippers teammates have had w/ DeAndre Jordan in past 24 hours give players confidence he'll return to them.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2015
Let the chaos begin.
Jordan may not have signed anything, but he did give a verbal commitment to the Mavericks. To pull out of that and sign with another team would not only be shocking, but unlike anything we’re accustomed to seeing in the NBA.
If nothing else, games between the Clippers and Mavericks would take competitiveness and aggressiveness to a new level entirely.
The question is, will he actually leave?
The Clippers have come under fire for what’s happening, with some criticizing the organization of performing underhanded tactics. The reality is, until a contract is signed, every free agent is in play—verbal commitment or otherwise.
It simply must be noted that this all started with Jordan reaching out to Rivers—not the other way around.
Like I said, this started Monday with DJ having second thoughts and CALLING Doc Rivers.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 8, 2015
If that’s not a sign that Jordan wants to return to the Clippers, what is?
Jordan was drafted by Los Angeles at No. 35 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. He’s spent every season of his professional career with the team, forming a close friendship with Griffin and becoming a two-time rebounds leader and Third Team All-NBA selection in 2014-15.
Despite the vastly reported agreement with the Mavericks, there’s a very good chance that he could rejoin the Clippers for 2015-16 and beyond.
Next: Would DeAndre Jordan be elite in any era?
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