Report: DeAndre Jordan to opt out of Clippers deal

DeAndre Jordan will decline his $24.1-million player option with the Los Angeles Clippers for 2018-19 and become an unrestricted free agent, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Clippers had been trying to negotiate a trade that would've seen Jordan opt into his deal and get moved to the Mavericks, but Los Angeles insisted on draft-pick compensation that Dallas was not willing to offer, sources told Marc Stein of the New York Times.

Dallas was reportedly comfortable sending Wesley Matthews to Los Angeles for salary-matching purposes in the deal, but without the draft asset attached, it seems, the Clippers would prefer to let Jordan walk and maintain their financial flexibility.

The Mavs can now simply sign Jordan without surrendering any assets, but they will likely have to use up the vast majority (if not all) of their cap space to acquire the three-time All-NBA center they've coveted since at least 2015. This also allows Jordan to push for more long-term security with a multi-year deal.

The 29-year-old, who has spent the entirety of his 10-year career with the Clippers, averaged 12 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.9 blocks last season.