While most of the rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks are centered on their second-year point guard Dennis Smith Jr., a new report has shed some light on veteran DeAndre Jordan and the possibility that he might not be the team’s long-term answer at center.
In a report published Tuesday, the Star-Telegram cited unnamed NBA sources, who said that contrary to what Jordan and his agent are hoping for, they do not expect the Mavericks to offer a multi-year contract to the 30-year-old center once his current one-year deal with the team expires this summer. The publication noted that Jordan has not disappointed as a rebounder, but cautioned that his age might soon become a concern due to his strengths as a “supreme” athlete. Jordan’s lack of an offensive game was also mentioned as something that could play into Dallas’ potential decision not to invest in him in the long-term.
“Since he was at Texas A&M, he’s always been a better athlete than a basketball player. An NBA basketball player can age well. The NBA athlete does not age as well as the player,” the Star-Telegram wrote.
“His problem isn’t rebounding. His problem is catching the ball on offense, and playing as a man who will be 31 this summer.”
Similarly, ClutchPoints explained that signing Jordan to a four-year contract in the summer of 2019 would tie him down to the Mavericks until he turns 35, an age where he likely will be a shadow of his old self as an athlete, and consequently a less productive scorer, rebounder, and defender.
DeAndre Jordan’s future in Dallas is not set in stone. #Mavs https://t.co/UfDrw4dVkO
— Mavs Nation (@MavsNationCP) January 16, 2019
As of this writing, DeAndre Jordan is averaging 10.9 blocks, 14 rebounds, and one block per game for the Dallas Mavericks, with his rebounding averages good enough for second in the entire NBA. As further noted by Bleacher Report , Jordan’s free-throw percentage of 68.8 percent is, by far, a career-high for the former second-round draft pick who spent the first 10 of his 11 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Given the widespread rumors that the Mavericks are planning to trade Dennis Smith Jr., the Star-Telegram opined that the best way to replace Jordan might be to look for his replacement by trading Smith. While no possible trade pieces were mentioned, a separate report from Heavy recommended a number of hypothetical deals that could give the Mavericks a big man to replace, or at the very least provide backup to Jordan, including trades involving Enes Kanter of the New York Knicks and Nikola Vucevic or Jonathan Isaac of the Orlando Magic.
