Unless the Dallas Maverickss are producing their own version of Runaway Bride, they must believe DeAndre Jordan will make it to the altar Friday. Before getting the idea this is true love, you should know it comes with a prenuptial agreement.
Jordan's one-year deal means both sides are protected if it doesn't work out. They can do something bigger under next year's ballooning cap than the reported $20 million plus he's getting now.
Or if it's a bad fit, they can part as friends this time. Good thing the lovely wife didn't think of this.
This also raises a couple of questions as to how this deal should be regarded by fans:
Does Jordan make the Mavs a playoff contender next season? Or should they think of this purely as an audition?
Before going there, let's consider what's happened so far.
By signing Jordan as a free agent instead of getting him in a trade, the Mavs haven't gone all in. A trade with the Clippers probably would have cost them Wes Matthews and a first-round pick. Maybe more.
All this deal meant in terms of personnel was that they couldn't bring back Doug McDermott. And they have to make nice with Dirk Nowitzki.
No question, then, that Jordan makes the Mavs better next season. There were no significant subtractions. Meanwhile, they just added a guy who averaged a career-high 15.2 rebounds at 29, and who's averaged at least 13.6 rebounds every year for the last five seasons.
For some perspective, the all-time Mavs leader in rebounding average is Tyson Chandler, at 10.4. Roy Tarpley is next at 10.0.
After that, it doesn't exactly read like a who's who of centers.
No matter what else happens next season, then, the Mavs will be getting the best rebounder in their history. They could use a little historical impact, too. The Mavs finished next-to-last in team rebounds last season. The Clippers came in seventh.
Jordan also will benefit from Rick Carlisle's system, with Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic executing the pick and roll. Jordan missed playing with Chris Paul last year, as his numbers showed.
One other thing about Jordan: Among all-time Clippers -- which, granted, is hardly an exclusive club -- he's second in win shares, behind only Paul.
All things considered, Jordan should like coming back to Texas. Unless, of course, he's tired of teams that don't do much after the regular season.
Which brings us to the question of what the Mavs will do next season: With improved rebounding and rim protection, along with the addition of Doncic and another year of DSJ, will the Mavs make the playoffs?
Not unless there's a sudden case of realignment. Denver won 46 games, 22 more than the Mavs, and the Nuggets didn't make it. And they just added Michael Porter Jr., once considered the top prospect in the last draft.
Now there's always the possibility that the Mavs' chemistry is incredible and they pull off something historic, something you could tell your grandkids if they'd put down their phones for five seconds. But it's not the way to bet.
As has been noted previously in this space, they're going to have enough issues trying to get Smith and Doncic to share the ball.
So if they're not a sure-fire playoff contender, what's the point of bringing in Jordan for a year?
What they have to hope is that after finally showing up, he likes it enough to hang around. Carlisle's system has been good to centers. Only point guards have expressed complaints.
Always a possibility, too, that, at 30, he might not command the numbers he'd like on the open market. For all of his rebounding skills and defense -- which the numbers say isn't quite what it used to be -- he's not your basic new age center.
On the other hand, Jordan may decide the Mavs aren't close enough to contention, and he'd like to sign his last big contract with a team a little higher up the ladder.
Looking at it now, I'd say the odds were better than ever that Jordan ends up somewhere else next year. But considering that DeMarcus Cousins is damaged goods and Houston probably won't let Clint Capela go, there's no reason why Jordan shouldn't be considered the Mavs' best option now. Just to make certain, though, get back with me Friday.
Sports on 07/04/2018