Another one bites the dust.
It was only a couple years ago that the Los Angeles Clippers seemed to have built a formidable team on the court that could compete for NBA Championships.
Centered around the big three of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers appeared to have a core that could vanquish any curse and bring relevancy to a franchise once considered the worst in the NBA.
Now, that trio is no more, after Jordan informed the team that he was opting out of the $24.1 million dollar player option on his contract next season. The move makes Jordan a free agent, available to sign with any team of his choosing, and eliminates the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal that could have netted the Clippers assets and draft picks in return for their franchise center.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Jordan is expected to sign a free-agent deal with the Dallas Mavericks, a team he once dramatically spurned in free agency in 2015.
The Clippers and Mavericks had been discussing a sign-and-trade agreement in recent days, but were unable to agree on the framework of a deal.
Jordan had until 11:59PM EST to make a decision on whether to opt-in or opt-out of his player option, and can discuss a new contract with other teams starting at 12:01AM EST on Sunday.
In less than a year, the Clippers have dismantled "Lob City," by trading Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons in January, and allowing Jordan and J.J. Redick to walk in free agency.
The Clippers traded for Jordan's replacement on Thursday when they acquired center Marcin Gortat from the Washington Wizards in exchange for guard, and son of head coach Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers.
