DeAndre Jordan is opting out of his contract with the Clippers to become an unrestricted free agent, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Much like LeBron James’ decision not to opt into his contract, this move by Jordan doesn’t tell us a whole lot about his free agency intentions, but it does limit where he can go.
DeAndre Jordan will opt out of contract, become unrestricted free agent, per report
Jordan’s future is unclear still. He could sign anywhere with cap space.
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Jordan is now as an unrestricted free agent and has the freedom to negotiate a long-term deal with the Clippers, Mavericks or any team that has cap space. Problem is, most teams don’t have much space. Jordan will almost certainly be seeking the max, or at least near the max.
The Mavericks are the favorite to land Jordan’s talents, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, even after a firestorm 2015 free agency saw Jordan commit and then de-commit from Dallas after a fleet of Clippers arrived to change his mind.
Dallas is building a team that’s nearly ready to compete with sophomore Dennis Smith Jr., rookie Luka Doncic, Dirk Nowitzki and Wesley Matthews. The question will be if the sides can agree on the length of the 29-year-old’s deal, and if any other teams will swoop in with a more lucrative pitch.
The Clippers aren’t yet out of the running either. They retain his bird rights and can offer Jordan the most money and an extra year on his deal. But with L.A. trading Austin Rivers for another center, Marcin Gortat earlier in the week, it seems they’re prepared to move on.
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