Players Association defends DeAndre Jordan's change of heart
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As is their job, the National Basketball Players Association came to the defense of Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan on Thursday as criticism rained down on the free agent's reneging on a verbal deal with the Dallas Mavericks to return to the Clippers.
The union WEIGHS in on DJ/Mavs pic.twitter.com/fTOg92vR3d
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 9, 2015
There is absolutely nothing surprising and incorrect in the statement, but the interesting factor is the the union says they will "fully support the opportunity to review options," presumably regarding the length of the NBA's aforementioned moratorium period.
Some general managers are in favor of retooling it.
The moratorium, a week-long period, allows the league accountants to properly set the following season's salary cap after the previous fiscal year ends on June 30. It also operates with the intention of preventing tampering from teams before free agency begins on July 1. If shortening the time frame is something both sides are open to, it may well happen in the future.
In regards to Jordan's actions as per the collective bargaining agreement, he was well within his rights. He could have handled the situation more maturely (like answering calls from the Mavericks while teammates playfully stuck chairs in front of doors), but that's another issue.
Jordan and the Clippers will need to live with the fallout from that, and it remains to be seen if Wednesday's surreal media event leads to any changes to the free agency period.