The Los Angeles Clippers did retain the services of DeAndre Jordan but it looks like it will come with a hefty penalty.
The said penalty has nothing to do with how the Clippers were able to convince Jordan to return after sitting down with the Dallas Mavericks. It was actually something that had transpired even before that, to be precise, on July 2.
According to a report by ESPN, the Clippers made a presentation to Jordan at that time but it was the inclusion of a potential third party that was seen singled out as the issue. Under the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) rules, teams are prohibited from making such arrangements to provide compensation for players unless such is included in the contract or permitted by the CBA.
With such, the Clippers will have to settle a $250,000 fine for the said violation.
It should be noted, however, that the issue at hand was something that happened long before the Mavericks and Jordan sat down to discuss a possible deal.
As everyone knows by now, Jordan went back on his word to join the Mavericks when the Clippers regrouped and sat down with Jordan. At that time, Chris Paul was under the radar as the reason behind the move of Jordan to entertain the offer made by the Mavs.
But after the meeting, which happened before July 9 when contracts were to be signed, Jordan had a change of heart and stayed with the Clippers. He and Paul threshed out the issues and Jordan was happy to be back with the Clippers.
The move, of course, left a bad taste in the mouth for Mark Cuban who had hoped that Jordan would have been man enough to tell him of his decision. Jordan did issue an apology but the Mavs owner believes that it lacked the sincerity about the unfortunate ordeal.
