Why Did DeAndre Jordan Leave LA Clippers?

As many NBA fans know by now, DeAndre Jordan has agreed to move over to the Dallas Mavericks after agreeing to a four-year deal worth $80 million.

To some, the move was a bit surprising but if you add up the sequence of events prior to NBA Free Agency then perhaps Jordan’s decision wasn’t all that surprising.

It has come to the attention of many that Jordan has been having problems with some of his teammates, particularly star point guard Chris Paul.

Paul has had that knack of trying to fire up his teammates. However, it may all depend on how a player receives that bark. And for Jordan, it may have all boiled down to playing for a team that truly appreciated him. And it seems he found that in the Mavs.

To recall, Jordan and Paul had their share of disagreements. It included Paul’s constant petty gestures, including a celebrated high-five issue where the former Clippers center was often left out of the mix.

Then there was the start of the NBA Free Agency which Jordan even gave the Clippers the first shot of convincing him to stay on with the ballclub. Apparently the whole appointment thing was not given the priority where not a single player came out to help in convincing the long-time Clippers center.

Paul, the person that Griffin had numerous disagreements during games, did make a pitch from the Bahamas in the latter stages but was said to be a half-hearted pitch.

With all that said, Jordan may have felt that he was not an important part for the Clippers despite being part for their vaunted Big Three.

The Mavs on the other hand made it known that Jordan will one of the team’s best players to come during his tenure. Such were the words that came out from no other than team owner Mark Cuban himself.

“We think he is going to be our best player for years to come,” Cuban said.

Jordan, who has proven to be a monster of the boards and a reliable scorer, will still need to work on a couple of things. Foremost is his free-throw shooting which has become a target by opposing teams who want to distance themselves or catch up via the celebrated “Hack-a-Jordan” tactic.

Dirk Nowitizki could give his new teammate some pointers when shooting from the charity stripe, a place the Jordan is expected to frequent given his position and time spent inside the shaded lane.

For the Clippers, the exit of Jordan could be costly as they now have to look for someone to fill up the hole in their middle.

Perhaps now the Clippers will realize the value of Jordan as they start to look for someone else; someone new to bark at and hopefully high-five from now on.