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DeAndre Jordan is again committed to the Mavericks, and the center has offered him an emoji to prove it three years after giving up an agreement to join Dallas.
The Mavericks and Jordan quickly agreed after the free agency on Sunday opened a one-year contract at about $ 24.1 million with the Clippers next season , two people having knowledge of the case.
People spoke to the PA under cover of anonymity because contracts can not be signed until Friday. Jordan has retired from the last year of the deal that he signed with Los Angeles when he threw the Mavericks in 2015.
The one-year agreement gives both parties flexibility beyond next season, but it's a sign that the Mavericks are tired of rebuilding after consecutive losing seasons for the first time in almost 20 years. Dallas (24-58) is coming out of its first season of 50 losses since the last of seven in eight years in 1997-1998.
If Jordan respects this agreement, he will leave the team that wrote it 10 years ago to be able to play in his country of origin.
On July 21, Jordan will face the Mavericks with a bouncy and blocking presence that has nearly missed them since they won their only title in 2011. Dallas has not won a playoff series since then.
Former Texas A & M player tweeted a smiling face with a cowboy hat while news of the deal was spreading on Twitter. It was a nod to the summer social media-driven emoji saga three years ago.
After learning that Jordan was reluctant to sign with Dallas, his former teammate Blake Griffin and his trainer Doc Rivers were part of a contingent of Clippers who went to Jordan's home in his native Houston and stayed with him until he reached his home. the contract is official. .
Former Dallas striker Chandler Parsons was Jordan's chief recruiter, and was part of the wild emoji exchange, so of course he had to weigh in after Jordan's last decision.
The circumstances are very different now, with the old All-Stars helping to persuade Jordan not to stay. Chris Paul orchestrated an exchange with Houston last summer and the Clippers sent Griffin to Detroit in January, a sign that the years of rebuilding could be ahead.
The Mavericks are two years in their own rebuilding with a pair of top 10 picks. Dennis Smith Jr., ninth in last year, was joined by another player who will start his NBA career as a teenager in the European Luka Doncic selection.
Dallas climbed two spots in the repechage last week to get the Slovenian guard, who took the third place overall by Atlanta while the Mavericks selected the former Oklahoma star Trae Young for the Hawks.
Jordan, who was second in the NBA with 15.2 rebounds per game last season, occupies an area that has long been a weak point for Dallas. Although his blocked shots dropped significantly last season, Jordan gives the Mavericks a rim presence that they coveted.
The Jordan 6-foot-11 averages at least 12 points each of the past three years. He has career averages of 9.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 10 seasons.
His arrival would be a strange twist for Dallas fans, who booed him firmly in each of his five trips to Dallas after this summer saga. Jordan's presence could also mean that Dirk Nowitzki is coming off the bench in what should be his 21st season record with the same franchise.
Since Jordan's change of heart, the most productive center for the Mavericks was their immediate replacement – Zaza Pachulia in 2015-16. Dallas was hoping Nerlens Noel could become an important piece after being traded for him by the 2017 deadline. But Philadelphia's sixth overall pick in 2013 never saw the light of day.
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