*(Via LA Times) – In a stunning reversal involving 11th-hour pleas from teammates, a Twitter war of emojis and a midnight home encampment, DeAndre Jordan decided he wanted to remain with the only NBA team he has known.
He is staying with the Clippers.
The free-agent center backed out of a five-day commitment to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, re-signing with the Clippers for four years and $87.6 million—with an opportunity to opt out after the third year—during one of the wildest days in franchise history.
The strange sequence hit a dramatic climax when several Clippers players and executives remained at Jordan’s home in Houston until midnight EDT to stave off any last-minute attempts of Dallas owner Mark Cuban to persuade Jordan to fulfill his pledge to sign with the Mavericks.
Part of the Clippers’ traveling party dispersed after Cuban acknowledged defeat, informing team employees that Jordan would return to the Clippers.
“I thought I had a good pump fake,” tweeted Dallas forward Chandler Parsons, his team’s lead recruiter in its pursuit of Jordan.
The Clippers were far more ebullient, with newcomer Paul Pierce tweeting an emoji of a smiley face and a bottle of champagne. The team’s official website tweeted a welcome-back message for one of the NBA’s top defenders and rebounders who has been with the Clippers since they drafted him in the second round in 2008.
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