DeAndre Jordan Explains Why He Rejoined Clippers and Ditched Mavericks

DeAndre Jordan, coming off from his best season yet in his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014-2015, surprised the NBA early this month when he agreed to a four-year $80 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. DeAndre Jordan’s verbal agreement gave Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban and the Dallas fans high hopes in rebuilding the team to be a league contender again. Unfortunately for them, the 26-year old center DeAndre Jordan had a “change of heart,” opting to reunite with the Los Angeles Clippers at the end of the NBA free agency moratorium.

Through a post and a video in The Player’s Tribune, DeAndre Jordan, a member of the All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive First Team last season, shared a heartfelt explanation about his decision to stay “home.”

I feel like we’ve all made decisions in our lives where we’ve had second thoughts about things … and I feel like this was one of those times for me.”

Jordan’s teammates – Blake Griffin, J.J. Redick, Paul Pierce, and Clippers’ head coach Doc Rivers – took the opportunity and visited DeAndre Jordan in his Houston home to convince him to stay. After talking things over with his teammates, and to the Mavericks dismay, DeAndre Jordan eventually rejoined Clippers.

I’ve been with this team for seven years. One team for my entire career was definitely important to me. I’ve been here since I was 19, so this is what I know. I love the city, I love the fans, I love my teammates and I love this organization.”

Also found in the post is a glimpse of DeAndre’s relationship with star point guard Chris Paul, dismissing rumors about Jordan and Paul not getting along.

I love Chris, man. Chris is a big brother to me. When you play sports, you’re competitive — especially when you play them at as high a level as we have these last few years. And of course, yeah, we all bump heads during the course of the game. But we know that whatever criticisms or arguments we have on the floor, they’re about one thing: winning.”

DeAndre Jordan admitted that he was impressed by the Mavericks’ presentation and initially said yes to the team because he thought he wanted change, but later on realized that things didn’t feel right. He said, “Ultimately, I made the right decision for me, and now I have to own that.”

DeAndre Jordan even made a public apology to Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban and the Mavericks fans through his Twitter account.

I am humbled by @DallasMavs & @MCuban kindness and understanding. I am sorry to have a change of heart.

— DeAndre Jordan (@deandrejordan6) July 11, 2015

[Image via Getty Images]