Roundtable: Reacting to the DeAndre Jordan signing

Oh man it’s just after 1:00 am EST and the staff of Mavs Moneyball is feeling all the things as the Dallas Mavericks just agree to a one year $24.1 million deal with DeAndre Jordan. We share our immediate thoughts.

It’s right after the news of DeAndre Jordan signing a one year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. What is your reaction?

Ian (@SmitheeMMB): I had a moderate level of concern after Deandre ending up opting out, but Dallas getting him to take a one year deal is great. They are afforded flexibility going forward, and in the meantime they get an elite rebounder and high quality rim runner to screen for the Mavs’ prized young playmakers, Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic. For all the flack we’ve given the Mavs with their (lack of) success in free agency and the draft, they get an A+ from me in both categories this year.

Bailey (@BaileyGrey789): I love that Chandler Parsons insisted on weighing in. Then DeAndre tweeted out an emoji. Dammit. Okay, fine, I’m sweating again.

Nah. I’m just messing with ya. Everything is fine. You know why? Because Luka Dončić is why. Everything will be fine. Could be Nerlens or DeAndre. It’s all a cherry on top. But I’m not buying any of this until there’s a signature on a legally binding contract.

Sam (@SamGuertler): On the one hand, this is great for the Mavs. They won’t have money tied up to an aging center. Wesley Matthews and Jordan will both be off the books opening up major space for the Mavericks.

On the other hand, the Mavs will be doing to same dance next summer. They haven’t solved their center issue and next year’s crop isn’t great. So basically, this all seems like a wash. Next year will be fun though.

Kirk (@KirkSeriousFace): This is as good a deal as we could have hoped for, barring the Wesley Matthews non-trade. So many of us fans aren’t sold on DeAndre for either past reasons or recent performative concerns. A one year deal lets both sides really get a feel for one another. For Dallas, they get a look at whether his athletic gifts have fallen off (which is a real concern, given a deeper dive into his numbers). For DeAndre Jordan, he gets to test drive Dallas, rebuild a little bit of his value, and enter free agency in 2019 with a different market. This just works and for the short term, I could not be happier with the outcome.

Dalton (@dalton_trigg): I’m not going to lie, I wanted to get DeAndre on a longer deal, around 2-3 years, but this was the 2nd best scenario that could’ve happened, with the 1st being if the Clippers had taken back Wes earlier in the week.

Look at the big picture though. The Mavs, assuming they don’t trade Wes, now have 2 huge expiring contracts, potentially giving them $42M in cap space next summer, when the FA class is expected to be loaded. And if I’m not mistaken, the Mavs could go after say, Klay Thompson or whomever next summer & still go over the cap to sign back Jordan if things go smooth this coming season.

So overall, this is awesome. The Mavericks starting lineup is probably going to be DSJ, Wes, Luka, HB and DeAndre, which is so much better and interesting than last season. Plus, Dallas retains flexibility for the future. Good times are back!

Josh (@Boweman55): I was never really worried about committing to DeAndre long term, because the Mavericks basically have a get of of cap jail free card for as long as Dennis and Doncic are on rookie deals. Plus it’s not like hoarding cap space and flexibility has ever had a proven track record of success for the Mavericks. I was always on team “just sign Jordan right away” because he’s good, he wants to come here and he helps DSJ + Doncic. The Mavericks have been burned so many times by playing with their food in free agency I did not care for them “exploring their options” in a weak center market.

The 1 year deal is probably best case scenario for the Mavs outside of a Wes trade. Now the Mavs get DJ and still can operate with some freedom during a loaded 2019 free agency class. About the only way for this Mavs off-season to get any better would be trading Wesley Matthews to free up some room for another impact player or two.

Dan (@danspeak_): After Clint Capela (which was a massive reach), DeAndre was next on my list of hopeful signings by the Mavericks. Not only does it give the Mavs a good option for a year, it also stops them from panicking and committing long term to some of the other free agent centres that the Mavs were linked to. I would have devastated if they went and gave Randle or Len multiple years.

Now the Mavericks have Jordan for a trial year, Dennis Smith Jr. going into year two, and Luka Doncic joining the team, perhaps this can be the the start of the rise of the Mavericks and show future potential free agents Dallas is worth coming to.

Jordan fills a hole that the Mavericks have had for some time now, i’m stoked we’re going to have a double digit rebounding machine who can roll to the basket and finish well. I’ve always been a fan of his game, and would love to see the Mavs extend him for a couple of years if all goes well during the season.

Jordan (@JBrodess): I wrote the other night saying ideal would be 3 years - $60 million, because I thought the Mavericks would have to lock in years to get Jordan to buy in. By not having to pay him more than what he opted out of (which is what Stein is reporting now) is a win, because hopefully there’s a little space to get a bench wing, with Doug McDermott unfortunately exiting.

For the Mavs the best part is getting a center who works well in their system; which is why they wanted him three years ago. They get to be fun and maybe compete while (probably) giving up their 2019 pick. And then flexibility next summer to be buyers, with Jordan and Wesley Matthews both coming off the books.

I will say the two negatives on this is a lack of stability, with the possibility of losing two starters next summer, while Luka Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. continue to adjust to the NBA. And second, the center free agents next summer are less than exciting. Outside of Karl-Anthony Towns and Myles Turner, the Mavs may be searching.