Luring DeAndre Jordan to Dallas, the Mavericks landed one of the league's most prized free agents on Friday, stealing him from the Los Angeles Clippers with factors that were a lot more complicated than money.
If it were about the money, Jordan, 26, would still be Steve Ballmer's employee and the subject of Doc Rivers' incessant lobbying for defensive player of the year. Hack-a-DeAndre became Steal-a-DeAndre, reshaping two 50-plus-win playoff teams from last season and exposing some of the hard truths about how NBA business is done.
Jordan accepted Dallas' four-year, $80.3 million deal over staying in Los Angeles with a team that won 56 games last season, two people involved in the negotiations told CBSSports.com. If that seems like a lot of money for a guy who can't make a free throw, behold what he turned down from the Clippers: a five-year, $108.1 million deal.
Even I can figure out that's a difference of almost $28 million -- give or take, as the currently projected cap of $67.1 million is expected to rise once the league closes its books on July 8.
Just entering his prime, Jordan can justify the decision financially since he could've opted out of a deal with the Clippers after four seasons, anyway, and hit the market again. However, if his goal was to change teams anyway, why not do a three-year deal with a player option after two that gets him to the free-agent market again in 2017 -- when the cap will be $108 million? On this point, I'm told, Jordan went for the security of a four-year deal over the potential for bigger salaries in the short term.
Either way, money was only one factor here, and there was going to be more of it than a responsible, well-represented 26-year-old could ever spend no matter where he went. (And as you blissful Texas residents know, there is no state income tax there, compared to the 12.3 percent cut that California takes, only to run out of water anyway.)
So what gives? What serves as a more powerful currency in the NBA than A, actual currency, and B, information?
The answer is C, relationships. On multiple-choice tests, I was always told that if you don't know the answer, choose C.
And in this case, relationships ruled the day for one of the biggest free-agent defections in memory. (The other recent one also featured a center defecting from LA to Texas, Dwight Howard, who also was represented by Jordan's agent, Dan Fegan. Now, we're getting somewhere.)
On one hand, there was Jordan's relationship with Clippers All-Star Chris Paul, which sources told CBSSports.com was demonstrably poor. These things are never one man's fault, but they believe that Jordan's relationship with the man who got him the ball in LA played a role here.
(Who gets him the ball in Dallas, you ask? Don't know yet! But stay with me.)
Then, there was the friendship, influence and history of doing basketball business -- lots of basketball business -- that Fegan has with Mavs owner Mark Cuban. The Mavs landed another Fegan client, Chandler Parsons, to a three-year, $46 million deal just last summer. Apparently, Parsons is paid mostly as a free-agent recruiter, because he made more of an impact dining with Jordan this week than he did on the floor all season.
The landscape is littered with Fegan clients who have come and gone in Dallas, including Jason Terry, Monta Ellis (whose representation Fegan shares with Happy Walters and Jeff Fried), and Eduardo Najera, a former player who is now the coach of the Mavs' D-League team.
As former Nets executive Bobby Marks framed it on Twitter Friday, "Free agency puts you at the mercy of the player and agent. That's how free agency works."
It didn't work for the Clippers, who now have to scrounge through the free-agent scrap heap for a serviceable center willing to come aboard and play for the league minimum. A tax team, the Clippers already have committed their mid-level exception to Paul Pierce and have only a $915,243 trade exception into which to slide Jordan's replacement. Blake Griffin is now the tallest player on the team.
They don't have room to absorb Roy Hibbert ($15.5 million) from the Pacers, who are trying to dump him into cap space, which the Clippers don't have. One option might be Memphis free agent Kosta Koufos via a sign-and-trade, but the Clips will need a third team willing to take one of their contracts.
On the bright side, they only have about $54 million in committed salaries for 2016-17, when the cap is projected to spike to $89 million. So free-agent turn-about could be fair play one year from now for Rivers and the Clippers.
But in the short term, a pretty grim day for the Clippers and a pretty interesting one in Dallas if you like upside-down math and the power of relationships. Which in this case, is really what free agency was all about.
Aldridge trims list. As for the other top-tier free agent, LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs, Suns and Trail Blazers have separated themselves in their pursuit of the All-Star forward, two people directly involved told CBSSports.com on Friday. One of the people stopped short of describing the other teams (beyond the Knicks and Mavericks) as eliminated. But the Spurs, Suns and Blazers are at the top of his list.
Aldridge is expected to take some time to decompress after a whirlwind of meetings before making a decision. After meeting a second time with Lakers officials on Thursday, Aldridge was spotted Friday in LA having lunch with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Reporters are everywhere.
Rondo signs with Kings. Rajon Rondo, whose time in Dallas ended so unceremoniously, agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Sacramento Kings on Friday, a league source told CBSSports.com. The deal allows Rondo, 29, to rehabilitate his image and try to return to his All-Star form while hitting the open market again next summer.
The Kings also landed Marco Belinelli with a three-year, $19 million deal, but saw another target, Corey Brewer, stay in Houston on a three-year, $24 million deal, league sources said.
However it all works out, with Rondo, DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl, the Kings are going to be must-see-LP (as in League Pass) next season.
Mavs looking for a PG. With Rajon Rondo gone and Monta Ellis off to Indiana, the Mavs need a point guard. Paging their own free agent, J.J. Barea, who also is represented by DeAndre Jordan’s agent, Dan Fegan. With several other spots to fill around Jordan, they’re talking to 35-year-old free agent Richard Jefferson about returning for another season on a minimum deal, a league source said.
Odds and ends. Once the free-agent dust settles, the Pacers will engage teams in trade scenarios for Roy Hibbert, league sources said. They’re looking for teams with room who can absorb Hibbert’s $15.5 million salary. … Patrick Beverley, a Mavs target before they landed DeAndre Jordan, has decided to stay in Houston on a four-year, $25 million deal, CBSSports.com confirmed.
