After seven seasons, it looks like DeAndre Jordan's days in Clippers red could be coming to an end. The 26-year-old free agent center is planning on meeting with at least three other teams later this week once free agency officially begins and is seriously considering leaving the Clippers, reports USA Today's Sam Amick.
DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks could be happening
The free agent center is expected to meet with the Clippers, Knicks, Lakers and Mavs this week and Dallas is considered a strong bet to lure Jordan away from L.A.
The teams Jordan is planning on meeting with in addition to the the Clippers are the Knicks, Lakers and Mavericks, all of whom can offer him a max deal. Dallas is "widely considered the likeliest team in the league to persuade" Jordan, a Houston native, to leave the Clippers, reports ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
The Milwaukee Bucks are also interested in Jordan but are considered a "long shot" to land him, per Amick. It is expected that Jordan's decision will come down to the Clippers and Mavericks, per MacMahon.
Clippers president and head coach Doc Rivers made it clear in April that he intends to offer Jordan a max contract, which would come out to five years and about $109 million. If he were to leave the Clippers Jordan could only sign a four-year deal. There's also the possibility that he signs a short term contract so that he can re-enter free agency at some point over the next couple of years when all that new TV money will have caused the league's salary cap to skyrocket.
But there’s a good chance Jordan will never be valued as highly as he is now. Last year he led the NBA in rebounds (15) for the second straight year and field goal percentage (71%) for a third consecutive season. He also led the league in defensive win shares, per Basketball Reference, swatted 2.2 shots per game and was named First Team All-Defense and Third Team All-NBA.
Of course you can’t mention Jordan’s name without bringing up his inability to hit foul shots -- he’s a career 42 percent free throw shooter -- but clearly this deficiency isn’t scaring away many teams. If he went to Dallas Jordan would replace a slowly-aging Tyson Chandler, also a free agent, and help a Mavericks defense that last season allowed opponents to score 103.7 points per 100 possessions. This would also be a huge blow to a Clippers team that needs Jordan to help anchor its defense.
See More:
