Jordan spurns Mavericks and signs with Clippers
Guard Lin signs new contract with Hornets
LOS ANGELES: DeAndre Jordan, whose foray into NBA free agency ballooned into an adventure, ended nearly 12 hours of suspense and ridiculousness by re-signing with the Los Angeles Clippers shortly after midnight Eastern on Wednesday, minutes after the league’s eight-day moratorium on signings and trades reached its conclusion.
The Clippers announced Jordan’s deal late Wednesday night and wrote on Twitter, “WE’RE OFFICIALLY CENTERED,” and, “#WelcomeHomeDJ.”
Paul Pierce, who reached an agreement to sign with the Clippers last week, also posted a picture on Twitter of himself with Jordan and what appeared to be Jordan’s new contract.
Jordan, a 6ft 11in centre who has spent the past seven seasons with the Clippers, made an oral commitment last Friday to sign with the Dallas Mavericks for four years and US$80 million. But in recent days, Jordan began to question his decision and reached out to the Clippers, said a league official briefed on the discussions.
On Wednesday, a contingent from the Clippers that included coach Doc Rivers, Pierce, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and JJ Redick convened at Jordan’s Houstonarea residence. They began to arrive in the afternoon — several of the players took to social media to post emojis of their modes of transportation — and remained at his home late into the evening, up until the moment that Jordan was permitted by league rules to sign his new contract.
Jordan, 26, refused to entertain overtures from the Mavericks, who had hoped to sway him back to Dallas, according to multiple reports. The evening approached the height of absurdity when Griffin posted a picture on Twitter of a chair lodged against a doorknob, presumably from inside Jordan’s home.
“Don’t agree with the furniture layout,” Griffin wrote, “but I’m not an interior designer.”
Despite the day’s comic overtones, Jordan’s decision to renege on the Mavericks’ offer is likely to have repercussions. It is extremely rare and considered bad form for free agents to back out of oral agreements with teams. The Mavericks could have been pursuing other free agents in recent days; now, in the wake of Jordan’s surprising move, they are roughly $20 million under the salary cap but with no bona fide stars to spend the money on.
The league announced on Wednesday that the cap had been set at $70 million, a record high, for the 2015-16 season.
For the Clippers, Jordan’s decision was a competitive coup — even if they appeared to engage in behavior that is generally frowned upon. Jordan’s move back to Los Angeles gives the team a post presence it desperately needed to remain in the hunt for an elusive NBA championship.
Jordan, whose inability to make free throws rendered him a spectator for long stretches of the Clippers’ play-off series loss to the Houston Rockets in May, was nonetheless considered one of the premier free agents on the market.
Last season, Jordan led the league in rebounds (15 per game) and field-goal percentage (71 percent) — a throwback center who has made his living by rebounding and dunking amid the rise of jump-shooting teams like the Golden State Warriors.
Last week, Jordan met with representatives from the Clippers, the Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks.
Meanwhile free agent point guard Jeremy Lin has agreed to a contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
Lin spent last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 11.2 points and 4.6 assists per game.
“Going into my first true free agency as an NBA player this off-season, the one thing that mattered to me the most was finding a team that would be a good fit for me,” Lin wrote on Facebook on Wednesday night.
“I wanted to be on a team where I would be able to play freely and truly play the game I love with joy again.
“That has always been the most important thing to me. After a LOT of prayers and long discussions with family and friends, I wanted to personally let you guys know I’ll be joining the Charlotte Hornets.”
In five NBA seasons with Golden State, the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets and the Lakers, Lin has career averages of 11.7 points and 4.8 assists per game.