DeAndre Jordan reneges on his commitment to sign with the Mavs and decided to stay with the Clippers. (Photo : REUTERS)
Will the Dallas Mavericks deliberately lose games next season to get a lottery pick after failing to secure the services of DeAndre Jordan?
Last week after getting a commitment from Jordan, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said they would have been forced to consider tanking a season had they lost out to signing the Los Angeles Clippers center.
The 7-0 Jordan has since reneged on his verbal agreement to sign with the Mavericks.
He instead re-signed with the Clippers to a four-year deal at approximately $87 million with a player option after the third season when the NBA free agency moratorium was lifted Thursday.
Jordan's decision left the Mavericks in shambles.
With approximately $18 million in salary cap room but having lost chances to retain Tyson Chandler or nab Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert.
Chanlder has agreed to sign with the Phoenix Suns while Hibbert is now is headed from to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Insiders say that the Mavs are now focusing their efforts on retaining the 32-year-old Amar'e Stoudemaire, but they should act fast as the veteran power forward is being pursued by the Miami Heat.
Moreover, the Chandler Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki may think of opting out of the final years of their contracts without a chance of winning with the Mavs.
After agreeing with the Mavericks on a four-year, $80 million deal, Jordan started communicating with Clippers teammates and coach Doc Rivers in the following days.
Jordan began having doubts about leaving nearly $30 million on the table for a team that is not as good as the Clippers. Based on league rules, only the Clippers can give Jordan a five-year deal that would be worth the maximum salary of approximately $110 million.
A reunion meeting was then held in Jordan's Houston home with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Rivers, and players Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, and Paul Pierce.
The efforts persuaded Jordan to stay.
