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What went down in the DeAndre Jordan-Dallas Mavericks fiasco in 2015? All you need to know

Oklahoma City Thunder v Los Angeles Clippers
DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin in a team huddle for the LA Clippers

In the summer of 2015, free agent center DeAndre Jordan gave the Dallas Mavericks his word that he would join their team. The deal was reported to be for four years and worth $80 million.

However, the coveted free agent big man later backed out of his verbal agreement with the Mavericks and re-signed with the LA Clippers at the last minute. To this day, it remains one of the strangest free agency sagas in NBA history.

Here’s the full story of what went down the day that Jordan changed his mind.

DeAndre Jordan initially agreed to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency after the franchise offered to provide him with an increased role on offense. The deal was first reported on July 3, 2015, by ESPN’s Marc Stein.

ESPN sources say DeAndre Jordan is on verge of accepting Mavs' four-year, $80M+ max offer. Dallas firmly in lead and decision likely today

However, because of the NBA’s moratorium period, the deal could not have become official until 12:01 a.m. ET on July 9. That was when Jordan was eligible to sign his new contract with Dallas.

Instead of just letting the center follow through on his decision, the Clippers decided to make a last-ditch attempt to change his mind.

Story going online now: ESPN sources say Clippers lobbying DeAndre Jordan to reverse his decision to join Dallas and stay in LA with Clips

It had previously been reported that DeAndre Jordan was already having second thoughts prior to the Clippers trying to get him back. When LA heard about this, they quickly met with Jordan at his house in Houston to talk things over.

The meeting reportedly included Clippers players Blake Griffin, JJ Redick, and Paul Pierce, as well as head coach Doc Rivers. It took place 12 hours before Jordan could officially sign his contract.

The team didn’t stop at just convincing DeAndre Jordan with their words. They reportedly did everything in their power to prevent him from talking with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and the franchise's front office again.

Cuban and Jordan’s agent, Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports, reportedly tried multiple times to contact Jordan, with no success.

In story with @ramonashelburne we also report Mavs now fear they won't now get audience with Jordan as Clips have essentially surrounded him

Blake Griffin later tweeted a photo of a chair blocking the door of Jordan's house to mock the Mavericks, who seemed to have no access to the veteran center.

“Don’t agree with the furniture layout but I’m not an interior designer,” Griffin captioned the tweet.
Don't agree with the furniture layout but I'm not an interior designer. http://t.co/23PNgQB88z

Mavericks and Clippers players also got into a Twitter emoji battle, tweeting back and forth about the whole situation. They were all trying to one-up each other with emojis relating to fast travel.

This was in response to Mavericks forward Chandler Parsons' initial tweet of an airplane emoji, indicating he was flying in to meet with Jordan.

The emoji battle even included LA Clippers star Chris Paul, who was on vacation in the Bahamas at the time and was last seen riding a banana boat.

Veteran Paul Pierce also tried to join in, although it appeared that he didn't entirely understand how to use emojis.

http://t.co/SIyHJjDScR

The Clippers eventually held out at Jordan’s house until he was eligible to re-sign with the team. The team then officially re-signed him for on a four-year deal worth $87 million. Paul Pierce even tweeted a photo of Jordan signing the deal.

“That’s why they brought me here,” Pierce captioned the tweet.
That's why they brought me here lol http://t.co/Z64Tkiyp01

Shortly after, the LA Clippers organization also sent out their own official tweet welcoming DeAndre Jordan back to the team.

Home is where your ❤ is. #WelcomeHomeDJ http://t.co/Ov0RoRKMDL


Other reactions to the DeAndre Jordan-Dallas Mavericks saga

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban

Many Dallas Mavericks fans were understandably frustrated with DeAndre Jordan after he backed out of his verbal agreement to sign with the team.

In doing so, he also prevented the Mavericks from being able to sign any other noteworthy free agent. This was because the Mavs were verbally tied to Jordan for a full five days during the heat of free agency.

Here are some of many fan reactions to the news:

I lost all respect for @deandrejordan6 how he did @dallasmavs @mcuban @ChandlerParsons is str8 foul a man should never go back on his word
So what should fans chant at DeAndre Jordan when he shoots free throws or touches the ball, "scumbag", "spineless", or "hostage"? #Clippers
How @mcuban's week has been with DeAndre Jordan http://t.co/Zk9cow6dnY

DeAndre Jordan later apologized on Twitter to Mark Cuban and the Mavs fans for his actions.

I want to publicly apologize to one of the best owners in the world @MCuban, the @DallasMavs and their fans.

However, Mark Cuban was quick to dismiss the apology.

Mark Cuban's latest from Cyber Dust, including a dismissal of DeAndre Jordan's apology: http://t.co/27qQYTrpJq

Cuban later discussed the potential positives of the deal falling through.

Mark Cuban didn't have much to say about DeAndre Jordan during @BenandSkin appearance, but he offered this: http://t.co/zVQUMcpIzO

It was certainly a messy situation. However, DeAndre Jordan and Mavs fans later reconciled after Jordan joined the team on a one-year, $24 million contract back in 2018.

He went on to play a total of 50 games for the Mavericks.

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Edited by Anantaajith Ra
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