DeAndre Jordan completes about-face on Mavs, officially re-signs with Clippers
Tap here to view theScore's NBA Offseason Tracker, which includes the latest transactions and rumors.
DeAndre Jordan took a roundabout way to get there, but he is staying with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Related: Then they played cards - Recapping how the Clippers landed DeAndre on the river
Five days after giving the Dallas Mavericks a verbal commitment on a four-year contract, Jordan reneged and re-upped with the Clippers just past the end of the NBA's free agency moratorium after midnight ET Thursday morning, the team announced.
New teammate Paul Pierce got to call "game" once again as Jordan signed the contract.
That's why they brought me here lol pic.twitter.com/Z64Tkiyp01
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) July 9, 2015
The deal is a four-year max contract, worth $87.7 million, according to CBS Sports' Ken Berger. That is noteworthy because only the Clippers could offer him a fifth year. If correct, it would throw cold water on earlier reports that money was the main reason for the change of heart. With a four-year deal, Jordan maintains more flexibility as the NBA salary cap spikes over the next few seasons.
The 2015-16 team salary cap was announced Wednesday night at $70 million.
The signing ends a historic gong show of a day in free agency, one sure to enrage owner Mark Cuban and the Mavericks and have several NBA teams questioning the value of the moratorium period, where the only bond a player has with an interested team is his word.
A heavy-hitting crew of Clippers arrived at Jordan's Houston home Wednesday afternoon, ready to persuade their franchise center to stay put. They didn't need to do much, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Yahoo Source: Clippers, DeAndre Jordan meeting was short. It was clear he was returning to them. Then they started to play cards.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 9, 2015
The Clippers in attendance – Pierce, coach Doc Rivers, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and owner Steve Ballmer then remained with Jordan all night until he could sign the deal. Griffin even placed a chair in front of the door as a Twitter joke.
The door block was likely an attempt to stop a figurative Cuban from breaking down the frame, as Jordan reportedly avoided calls from the billionaire, as well as Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons. The Mavs had apparently been told that they would get another chance to pitch Jordan, but it never happened.
I'm told that DeAndre Jordan won't even take a phone call from Mark Cuban or Chandler Parsons.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) July 9, 2015
I thought I had a good pump fake.
— Chandler Parsons (@ChandlerParsons) July 9, 2015
Cuban declined comment after the signing, according to MacMahon.
The Clippers circumvented Jordan's agent, Dan Fegan, in landing the meeting, according to CBS Sports' Ken Berger. The L.A.-based Fegan was on a flight to Houston on Wednesday, Berger reports, but ESPN's Ramona Shelburne added later that it was not Fegan present for the signing, but an agency rep.
Shelburne and ESPN colleague Marc Stein reported earlier in the day that Jordan's second thoughts about Dallas became so pronounced that he contacted teammate Griffin on Monday, setting into motion the chain of events.
The Clippers also signed swingman Wes Johnson amiss the ordeal. Terms were not released, but it's believed Johnson will earn a one-year deal at the veteran's minimum.