And so it begins.
With teams able to officially speak to players beginning July 1, agents are getting their cards in order ahead of free agency for key clients. DeAndre Jordan appears to be the first unrestricted free agent opening up his courtship, and agent Dan Fegan is notoriously aggressive.
The Los Angeles Clippers center is set to meet with as many as five teams, according to a report from Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, ranging from the usual suspects to a surprise upstart. Presumed to be a sure bet for a maximum contract on the open market, Jordan will take meetings with the Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and New York Knicks.
The Bucks are an extreme long shot according to USA Today's Sam Amick, who reported Sunday that it is unlikely Jordan will even meet with them. Flush with young, lengthy defenders but short a rim-protecting anchor, Milwaukee has been linked to just about every center on the market.
The Lakers and Knicks - armed with cap space, one star apiece, and glamorous markets - will be in on just about every notable free agent, though their chances of prying Jordan away are unclear.
The Clippers remain Jordan's most likely choice, as he's spent his entire career with the franchise and could continue to play alongside stars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, even if he seems tired of coming up short there. He'd also stand to make more money on a longer deal by staying: the Clippers' maximum offer of five years and roughly $108.7 million far outstrips the approximate four-year, $80.7-million offer another team could make.
That is, unless the Clippers are open to a sign-and-trade, which has reportedly been discussed should Jordan decide to join the Mavericks. There's believed to be mutual interest there, and while losing Jordan would hurt L.A., his departure via sign-and-trade would at least let them recoup an asset or two.
The Mavericks and Clippers are considered the front-runners ahead of official meetings, according to Zwerling.
Spotted hanging out with Chandler Parsons and DeAndre Jordan in LA this week: free agent SG Wesley Matthews.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 29, 2015
Wherever he lands, Jordan will boost a team's defense and rebounding appreciably, and provide a dangerous scoring threat as a dive man. He averaged 11.5 points, a league-high 15 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks this season, shooting a league-best 71 percent from the floor. He's led the league in field-goal percentage for three consecutive seasons and has missed two games over the last five years, bringing efficiency, reliability, and volume with his per-game production.
The 2015 free-agent class is by no means the best ever, but it's got enough marquee names and potential max-contract players - especially with the salary cap set to rise in 2016, lowering the bar for such a classification - that things could get wild in the coming weeks.
