DeAndre Jordan could finally be headed to the Mavericks, 3 years later

DeAndre Jordan has a player option on the final season of his contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, which means he could enter free agency if he wants to, or he could opt-in and make $24.1 million next season. It’s been largely unclear what the shot-blocking big man had planned for the 2018-19 season, but it appears a not-so new option is on the horizon.

The Dallas Mavericks have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Jordan should he opt-into the final season of his contract, according to The New York Times’ Marc Stein. That kind of trade would likely include Wesley Matthews, who is due nearly $19 million in the final year of his contract.

That’s because it is. During the 2015 NBA free agency period, Jordan nearly left the Clippers when he verbally committed to join the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent. But upon hearing the news, Doc Rivers, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Blake Griffin and J.J. Redick flew out to Jordan’s Houston home and convinced him to stay with in Los Angeles. He reneged on his word with the Mavericks, while his teammates stayed at his house until he signed the contract extension.

Oddly enough, of that group, only Jordan and Rivers remain on the Clippers, and Rivers has had his role diminished from dual team president and head coach to solely head coach, and some believe he’s hanging onto that title by a thread.

Some also believe he would have been better suited had he joined the Mavericks, whose pitch was to make him an All-Star by focusing their offense around him more than the Clippers had. Jordan eventually became an All-Star, but only because both Paul and Griffin were injured for a stretch during the 2016-17 season.

He can opt-in and orchestrate a trade to the Mavericks, or he could become a free agent and force them to use cap space to sign him.

The former is a similar move to one Chris Paul made last summer. Expected to exercise his player option and opt out of the final year of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent last summer, Paul shocked most when he opted in, before orchestrating his way via trade to the Houston Rockets. The pairing was perfect and led to the Rockets’ franchise-best 65-win season, but it would have been nearly impossible had Paul become a free agent because the Rockets had limited cap space to sign free agents.

The latter is a move that would force the Mavericks to sign him as a free agent, thus rendering them virtually useless in free agency this summer. If they pull off a trade of equal salary, the Mavericks could still have more than $20 million to use this summer in free agency, then could sign Jordan to a long-term extension if they choose. They could use that money to sign a difference maker at the forward spot, like Aaron Gordon or Julius Randle.

Whatever Jordan and the Mavericks decide to do, the ball is in his court, much like is was in 2015. Only this time, there’s no talking him off the ledge. And only this time, it doesn’t appear the Clippers will do much talking, either way.