DeAndre Jordan has developed into one of the best young big men in the NBA and he entered free agency as one of the top targets of the entire class. The Los Angeles Clippers were hoping to keep him but were unable to do so. According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Jordan will sign with the Dallas Mavericks on a maximum $80 million contract:
Free agent center DeAndre Jordan will be signing a four-year, $80 million contract with the Mavericks, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 3, 2015
This is a pretty surprising development as even though there was a chance Jordan would leave the Clippers, most still believed that he would remain in Los Angeles. This is an excellent signing for the Mavericks who have now added Jordan and Wesley Matthews in free agency.
For the Lakers, this is another one of their big-name targets who has chosen to go elsewhere. The Lakers met with Jordan on Wednesday, but the meeting was reportedly underwhelming. With Jordan, Monroe, and Love all agreeing elsewhere, and Aldridge reportedly ruling the Lakers out, the team has struck out as far as the big names are concerned.
The Lakers do still have a chance to salvage this free agency period as there are still some solid players available. Tobias Harris is the biggest name remaining, but he is a restricted free agent. The Lakers have also been linked to Kosta Koufos and Corey Brewer, both of whom would fill major needs for the team.