DeAndre Jordan agreed to a free agent deal with the Mavericks, but due to the NBA’s moratorium period which doesn’t end until July 9, new contracts can’t yet be signed, and teams can get into trouble for discussing the agreements before they become official.
There’s also nothing binding, here -- technically, Jordan could choose to back out of his verbal commitment, and the Mavericks would have no recourse.
Evidently, it’s something that’s now being considered.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com:The Los Angeles Clippers are trying to convince DeAndre Jordan to reconsider his decision to sign with the Mavericks after Jordan verbally committed to join Dallas last week, according to league sources.
Free agents are traditionally considered off limits once they strike a verbal agreement with a team during the NBA’s annual moratorium period, but sources said that the Clippers have pushed to secure a meeting Wednesday in Houston for coach/team president Doc Rivers and possibly owner Steve Ballmer to make one last face-to-face pitch to Jordan in an attempt to convince him to walk away from the four-year, $80-plus million max deal he committed to with the Mavericks and instead stay with L.A. ...
Sources told ESPN’s Chris Broussard that Jordan has told people close to him since picking Dallas that he’s still “torn” and “unsure” about his choice.
Jordan can make more money on a max deal with the Clippers than he can anywhere else, but his initial decision to bolt for Dallas was motivated by other factors. He reportedly wanted a bigger role in the offense and more recognition for his contributions -- things that would never happen playing alongside Blake Griffin and Chris Paul in Los Angeles. And, the reported tensions between Jordan and Paul were real enough to be a factor, as well.
There are other components in play behind the scenes. The agents who represent the athletes are more heavily involved in personnel moves than fans would like to believe, and there would be a significant amount of trust lost in Relativity Sports should Jordan’s deal to Dallas end up falling apart.
It wouldn’t be unprecedented for a player to renege on this type of commitment, but it almost never happens. The fact that the Clippers are getting an unusual final shot at convincing Jordan to do so, however, does make it a real possibility.
