Wednesday's stunning reversal by DeAndre Jordan, who decided not to sign a free-agent contract with the Dallas Mavericks, as he had reportedly committed last week, to instead return to the Los Angeles Clippers, dramatically changes the complexion of the Western Conference. With few alternatives available on a free-agent market that moved quickly, Jordan's decision could swing a playoff spot and change the pecking order at the top of the West. Let's take a look at the implications for both teams.
Clippers back in the mix
Jordan's initial decision was devastating to the Clippers because of their limited options for replacing him. L.A. had already committed most of its mid-level exception to signing forward Paul Pierce, leaving the Clippers just the remaining $2.1 million of that exception to offer free agents more than the minimum salary.
Suddenly, the Clippers no longer have to go dumpster-diving for bargain centers. They'll once again have a top-of-the-line model in Jordan, who was valued at 15.4 wins above a replacement-level player by my metric last season and 12.1 wins above replacement by ESPN's real plus-minus (RPM). Both stats put him among the NBA's 10 most valuable players.
Though the Clippers wouldn't necessarily have been replacing Jordan with replacement-level play -- moving Blake Griffin to center at times in ultra-small lineups was one possible alternative -- those numbers suggest Jordan's return could easily be worth double-digit wins to the Clippers, the difference between contending for home-court advantage in the West and fighting just to make the playoffs.