The DeAndre Jordan saga played out publicly and hilariously on Wednesday, with players from both sides tweeting ridiculous things as the Clippers descended on Jordan’s Houston home to finalize his commitment, while the Mavericks were simply shut out.
Once Jordan’s decision was crystallized, Dallas turned to its other free agent commitment in Wes Matthews, who ended up being rewarded for his loyalty throughout the process.
David Aldridge of NBA.com:With DeAndre Jordan going back to the Clippers, Wes Matthews’s deal with Dallas goes from 4/$57M to a max deal: 4 years, $70M, per source.
That would have happened if Jordan had initially opted 2 stay in L.A. Matthews took less in order 4 Jordan to come. That changed, obviously.
With Jordan out of the picture, it would have been easy for the Mavericks to similarly renege on their agreement with Matthews, while choosing to enter a full-fledged rebuild instead.
But as bad it was for Jordan to do so, it would have been even more devastating to the credibility of the Dallas franchise.
Mark Cuban and the Mavericks went in the opposite direction, and committed more money to Matthews than was previously agreed upon. That’s money well-spent, because it will undoubtedly go a long way with future free agents who consider Dallas as a potential destination.
