Several reports on Friday state that Los Angeles Clippers center and last year’s rebounding leader DeAndre Jordan has agreed to a 4-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, worth about $80 million. All the reports to date are on the condition of anonymity as signings can only happen starting with July 9th, but no major turnarounds are expected to happen until then.
The deal was acknowledged by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who told a local sports radio station that he thinks Jordan could be a franchise player and have the same impact as Shaquille O’Neal, but that he was never given the opportunity until now.
Jordan apparently refused a maximum 5-year deal from the Clippers, where he spent his last seven seasons, amid rumors of a locker room breakdown with star point guard Chris Paul. He was a big factor in a mildly-successful season for the Clippers last year, who finished third in the Western Conference and narrowly missed out on the conference finals in a 7-game loss against the Houston Rockets. Jordan averaged more than 13 points and rebounds per game in the playoffs.
He led the league in rebounding in the last two seasons, averaging 13.6 and 15 per game respectively, and has also had the best shooting percentage in the last three NBA seasons – in 2014/2015 he averaged a ridiculous .710 percentage of made shots, but averaging only 11.5 points per game, mainly due to the fact that the Clippers found their main scoring options in superstars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
This continues an agitated summer in Dallas, where the Mavericks are reworking a roster that could only win 1 game in the first round of playoffs against Texas rivals Houston Rockets. Former All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo left after the end of their playoff run, ending a miserable season after being benched for the last two games against the Rockets. Rondo was added in a trade which saw the Mavericks play worse in almost every regard, and has signed a one year deal with the Sacramento Kings.
The Mavs also lost Monta Ellis, who was the first Mavericks player to surpass Dirk Nowitzki in scoring since his second season in the league, 1999-00. The shooting guard penned a five year deal with the Indiana Pacers, but the Mavs quickly replaced him with former Trailblazer Wesley Matthews. Adding to the departures was former defensive player of the year Tyson Chandler, who was signed by the Phoenix Suns.
Image Source: CBS Sports
