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DeAndre Jordan ENDED the Mavericks Season, and Dirk’s Career

By Reid Hanson

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The actions of DeAndre Jordan was nothing short of devastating for the Mavericks. Here’s why Jordan not only ended the 2015-16 season, but he ended Dirk’s career…

Originally written Tuesday night, this article today was supposed to be titled, How DeAndre Saved the Mavs and Dirk. I suppose that article will never see the light of day now that DeAndre backed out of his commitment and rejoined the Clippers.

Now Mavs Nation finds themselves in a bit of shellshock after what transpired late Wednesday night. What the heck happened and where do we go from here?

I already discussed how terrible of a person DeAndre Jordan is yesterday (Check out: DeAndre Jordan is Just the Worst), so for now let’s focus on the devastating impact of his actions, and what those actions have done to the Mavericks’ franchise, and specifically, the Mavericks’ franchise player.

If DeAndre wanted to hurt the Dallas Mavericks in the worst way possible, then his actions this past week were highly successful. I mean, this is what you would do to your worst enemy. You back out of a commitment at the last moment ensuring the team has no time to sign a relevant free agent.

Here’s an except from the unpublished article that was supposed to post today:

"Regardless of what you think of the free-throw-inept big man, if the Mavericks struck out with DeAndre, they would be DONE. Not just done this coming season, but done for the foreseeable future. Next year, the new TV dollars kick in, and the free agent market is scheduled to explode with available talent looking to cash in. The Mavericks, sans a young superstar like DeAndre Jordan, would have virtually no chance at acquiring any of that top-end talent summer of 2016."

Think about it. EVERYONE will have money to spend, and it’ll be a players’ market. The Mavs will need to lure free agents with something other than money alone. DeAndre Jordan would have given them that. Now they have nothing attractive other than the same (or less) money than everyone else. DONE.

When the news was announced last week that DeAndre would join the Mavericks, I had this tweet:

The huge gush of relief I felt, was probably a fraction of what Dirk felt. Think about it. Dirk is clearly in the autumn of his career. His NBA days are numbered. He doesn’t have time for a total rebuild. He needs players who are ready NOW.

Wes Matthews is a nice addition, but let’s be honest – he’s a complementary player like Chandler Parsons. With only two years likely left in the tank, Dirk needed the Mavs to have a successful offseason more than anyone. If the Mavs couldn’t get a star this offseason, they probably won’t be getting one next offseason either. Why would anyone want to come?

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Do the Mavericks tank and try to get a good draft pick next season? Only if they can REALLY tank because anything outside of the top 7 picks will go to Boston. The Mavs either need to be really bad or really good. Few people will argue they are considerably closer to the former than the latter.

What does this mean for Dirk?

Nothing good I’m afraid. The Mavericks will either try to trade the big German to a contender or they will let him play the last two years of his career in miserable fashion. Both are disgusting options. Over the next days, months, and sadly years, we will dive into the art of “tanking” and how it’s a painfully slow, but often a necessary, process for teams like the Mavericks.

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Next: Mavs Lose: DeAndre Jordan is the worst person in the world

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