Deandre Jordan, Mavericks reach agreement on contract

Its a dark day for Clipperland. Deandre Jordan is leaving the Clippers for the Dallas mavericks. A public announcement, first made at ESPN.com has revealed that Jordan signed an $80 million dollar max deal contract that includes a player option after the third season.

During his 7 year tenure at the Clippers, Jordan managed to ascend to being the 3rd wheel in the Clippers pecking order behind Paul and Griffin. He became an all NBA player but clearly was fed up with being stuck in Paul; and Griffin's shadow. The chance to be a "franchise player" for the Mavs and to return to his home state of Texas seemed to much an offer to refuse for DJ. By leaving the Clippers he left more money, stability and a bigger chance to win on the table.

"I think he's going to become our best player for years to come" said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Jordan also met with the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks but he did seem very convinced by their pitches and what they had to offer him.

Jordan finished first in the league in field goal percentage (.710) and rebounds per game (15.0) in 2014-15. He was the first player to do so in back-to-back seasons since Wilt Chamberlain in 1971-72 and 1972-73. Jordan's field goal percentage was the second-highest in NBA history behind Chamberlain's .727 in 1972-73.

Clippers Coach Doc Rivers over the past few seasons had believed in Deandre and m,entored him into the defensive force he is today but it seems Deandre wanted more than his niche roll despite being one of the best in the NBA at rebounding and rim protecting.

While Jordan averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game last season, he shot 39.7 percent from the free throw line and is a 41.7 percent shooter there for his career. "Hack-a-Jordan" has become a common practice for opponents, but the Clippers are 12-0 during the regular season when Jordan attempts 14 or more free throws.

With the Clippers losing DJ they are in  a tough situation as they have no centre and barely any money to offer a new one. The only way they may be able to do so is through a sign and trade for a player like Kosta Koufas. This is a tough blow for the Clips but if they manage to stick things out hopefully they can sign a big name player  when the cap rises after next season and move on from the loss of Deandre.