Watch CBS News

This NBA Player Made $10 Million Thanks To DeAndre Jordan Decision

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — J.J. Barea had already reportedly agreed to a two-year, $5.7 million contract days after DeAndre Jordan had committed to signing with the Dallas Mavericks.

However, to the delight of Clippers' fans everywhere, Jordan reneged on his verbal agreement with the Mavericks and ended up re-signing with the Clippers.

The Mavericks and owner Mark Cuban were stunned, as they had thought that they had reached the salary-cap minimum requirement, nonetheless acquired a franchise center.

When Jordan spurned the Mavericks to sign with the Clippers, the Mavericks front office was shocked, and suddenly had an immense amount of money that they were required to spend to reach the salary-cap limit.

The Jordan saga changed the negotiating status of the Mavericks, as now that they had lost their primary target, they essentially conceded to paying the players who did honor their commitments more.

J.J. Barea just agreed to a deal with $16 million over four years, which is a $10.3 million increase from his previously negotiated deal.

Barea averaged 7.5 points and 3.4 assists per game last season for Dallas but will now be the backup to recently acquired Deron Williams.

Williams was waived by the Brooklyn Nets and the Texas native signed with the Mavericks shortly after being waived.

Barea earned $10.3 million for simply staying true to his agreement and reaped the financial benefits of DeAndre Jordan's decision to remain with the Clippers.

Jordan's alleged deal was over four years and valued at over $80 million. So when he elected not to sign the contract, this gave the Mavericks about $20 million a year to spend on other players, or in this case, current players.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.