LOS ANGELES — Lob City lost one of its most prominent residents Friday when free-agent center DeAndre Jordan agreed to leave the Los Angeles Clippers for the Dallas Mavericks, spurning the only NBA team he had known to begin a new chapter in his career.
Jordan committed to the Mavericks for four years and $80 million, with an opportunity to opt out after the third year, after being wowed by the team’s presentation this week and the relentless wooing of new teammates Dirk Nowitzki, Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews.
“We think he is going to be our best player for years to come,” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban triumphantly told reporters. “A franchise player for the rest of his career.”
Jordan, who turns 27 this month, cannot officially sign with Dallas until Thursday, when the league’s moratorium on formal commitments ends. His decision to join the Mavericks means he will return to the state where he was born and played collegiately at Texas A&M.
Jordan picking the Mavericks also signaled his desire to be more a focal point of his team’s offense and served as confirmation of his soured relationship with longtime Clippers teammate Chris Paul, who verbally belittled Jordan during one game last season and frantically yelled at him during another when Jordan failed to get off a shot in the final second.
Paul spoke with Jordan for about 25 minutes last weekend and corresponded with him again Monday, his efforts failing to sway Jordan to stay with the team.
One person close to Jordan said he was more impressed by the recruiting efforts of Nowitzki, who came off vacation to join the Mavericks contingent that held a dinner meeting with Jordan and later outlined its plans for him during a more formal 2 1/2-hour presentation. No Clippers players attended the team’s pitch meeting Thursday.
The Clippers tried to sell Jordan on increased marketing opportunities as well as his potential to thrive as part of a roster bolstered by the recent acquisitions of Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson. But Coach Doc Rivers’ attempts to mend Jordan’s relationship with Paul, as well as the coach’s ability to shape Jordan into one of the NBA’s top defenders and rebounders, apparently were not sufficient to convince Jordan he should return.
Rivers had expressed confidence that Jordan would come back after the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs in May — “D.J. loves it here,” Rivers said at the time — but acknowledged there were no assurances after a season in which Jordan led the NBA in rebounding (15.0 per game) and field-goal percentage (.710).
Jordan, a second-round draft pick of the Clippers in 2008, ascended to NBA all-defensive first team last season.
Had Jordan come back, the Clippers would have been considered strong contenders in the Western Conference; with his departure their prospects take a significant hit even with All-Stars Paul and Blake Griffin still under contract.
Kings, agree to deals with Rondo, Belinelli
A person with direct knowledge of the deal says the Sacramento Kings and point guard Rajon Rondo have agreed to a one-year deal for $10 million.
Rondo’s addition comes hours after the Kings and shooting guard Marco Belinelli agreed to a $19 million, three-year contract Friday, another person familiar with that deal said. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because contracts can’t be completed until the moratorium on free agency ends Thursday.
Harris gets deal with Magic
The Orlando Magic and Tobias Harris agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal Friday night, league sources told the Orlando Sentinel on Friday night.
Harris averaged 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game last season. He also improved his 3-point shooting to 36.4 percent, almost 10 percentage points better than the season before.
Rockets sign Brewer and Beverley
The Rockets have reached deals with Corey Brewer and Patrick Beverley to keep them in Houston.
The agreements came on Friday, with Beverley’s agent Kevin Bradbury saying his client got a four-year, $23.4 million deal. The final year of the contract is non-guaranteed.