DeAndre Jordan, Mavericks nearing agreement on max contract
— -- DeAndre Jordan is on the verge of leaving the Los Angeles Clippers to join the Dallas Mavericks, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that Jordan and the Mavericks are nearing agreement on a four-year max contract worth in excess of $80 million that includes a player option after the third season to allow the highly coveted free-agent center to return to free agency in July 2018.
The chance to be featured as the Mavericks' new franchise player and return to Texas after playing in college at Texas A&M, sources say, is leading Jordan to leave the Clippers, with whom he has been consistently cast as a third wheel behind L.A. stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
In their pitch to Jordan earlier this week, Dallas included taped messages from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and star wide receiver Dez Bryant, playing to Jordan's well-known fandom of the Cowboys and Bryant in particular.
Jordan also met with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, but his decision always was expected to come down to the Mavs and Clippers.
The Mavs received a verbal commitment from free-agent shooting guard Wesley Matthews on Thursday night for a four-year deal expected to have average salaries in the $13 million range, sources said.
Dallas, led by small forward Chandler Parsons, relentlessly recruited Jordan and Matthews. Parsons traveled to Los Angeles the night of the draft to spend time with the Mavs' top two free-agent targets. He was later joined by star Dirk Nowitzki, owner Mark Cuban, coach Rick Carlisle, president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson and athletic trainer Casey Smith.
The Mavs' contingent split into two parties as free agency opened to host dinner meetings with Jordan and Matthews. Jordan met again with Dallas officials the next day, when sources said he was particularly impressed by a basketball strategy discussion with Carlisle, who dined with Matthews and not Jordan the previous night.
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 made the case for Jordan to be named the Defensive Player of the Year for much of the season, but he finished third in voting for the second consecutive season. The 26-year-old center, however, was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the first time in his career.
Jordan became the only player in NBA history to average at least 13 rebounds per game while shooting at least 70 percent from the field in a single postseason as the Clippers fell one win short of their first conference finals berth.
While Jordan averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game last season, he shot just 39.7 percent from the free throw line and is a career 41.7 percent shooter there. While "Hack-a-Jordan" has become a common practice for opponents, the Clippers are 12-0 during the regular season when Jordan attempts 14 or more free throws.
ESPN.com's Arash Markazi contributed to this report.
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