The Dallas Mavericks made the right move with DeAndre Jordan

The Dallas Mavericks signed DeAndre Jordan this offseason, despite other centers going for better price tags to different teams. Despite this fact, the Dallas Mavericks still made the right call with Jordan.

The Houston Rockets and Clint Capela came to terms on a five-year, $90 million deal today, earning him $18 million per season for the next half decade. That is a lot of money, but most NBA fans assumed that Capela would be in the running for a max offer sheet from one team or another, one of those teams presumably being Dallas.

Before this move, DeMarcus Cousins agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors for the mid-level exception next year. Boogie is widely considered one of the best centers in the game, if not the best, and his joining the Warriors has been a hot topic of conversation. Once again, the Mavs were one team rumored to be interested in Cousins at a much higher price tag than what he got.

Julius Randle was another name that was mentioned frequently as a target for the Dallas Mavericks. Despite his being out of position in a way, Randle nabbed a two-year, $18 million deal from the New Orleans Pelicans, an offer that likely could’ve been outdone by the Mavs if they had the level of interest that many people believed they did.

Dwight Howard was another big man in free agency that brought home only the mid-level exception. The Mavs were right to avoid this one, but it still makes you think about some of the price tags.

This may be the first time I can remember that big men were criminally undervalued by the league. The only big man that will be making big money next year on a new deal just happens to be one of the Dallas Mavericks newest additions, DeAndre Jordan. Now the question is going to be, did the Mavs make the right move with DJ instead of paying a little more for one of these other centers?

The answer is yes.

Despite the higher contract, the interest between Dallas and Jordan were mutual before negotiations even began. No matter what you believe about other players available, the Mavs made the right move by finding a guy who was genuinely interested in joining the team, and making him the top priority. Hopefully they can keep this strategy in place over the next years to come.

The next reason this was the right move for Dallas was the length of time. The Mavs are not strapped down to DJ for years to come and will have plenty of flexibility when 2019 free agency rolls around. Other centers fit this bill as well, but DJ is the one that gives the Mavs the best chance to retain. That definitely counts for something.

Lastly, Dallas is under no obligation to be loyal to DJ. There is a history there and Dallas will only rebuild that bridge permanently if Jordan proves he is here to stay. If that happens, then the deal was even more worth it.

The Clint Capela signing was a bit eye-opening, but the fact is that the Dallas Mavericks made the right call bringing in DeAndre Jordan. I look forward to seeing exactly what he brings to the team in the upcoming year(s).