Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban cleared the air with owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers, who lured DeAndre Jordan back to Los Angeles with a well-attended lock-in at Jordan’s Houston home.
“I told him exactly what I told other owners, I didn’t have a problem with his Hail Mary approach to keeping a player,” Cuban wrote on Cyber Dust. “I understood why they did it. And even how they did it. They got their player back. End of story.”
Jordan agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Mavericks. Cuban hailed Jordan and the move publicly and was even fined $25,000 for commenting on an unsigned player contract during the NBA’s moratorium period.
But on the final day of free agency, Jordan returned to the Clippers. Ballmer, coach Doc Rivers and multiple players, including forward Blake Griffin, converged on Jordan’s home in Texas and did not leave until he signed a deal to come to Los Angeles.
Jordan said he felt underappreciated as a third or fourth option with the Clippers. Cuban, who compared Jordan to Shaquille O’Neal, said the Mavericks would feature him in their system.
But the effort from the Clippers at the 11th hour helped woo Jordan back to Los Angeles. The Clippers upped their offer by almost $8 million over four years to help compensate for money Jordan would’ve left on the table because of the difference in tax rates between California and Texas.