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The Los Angeles Lakers are out of the running for DeAndre Jordan, and the free agent center plans on announcing his intention to join the Dallas Mavericks sometime Friday, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Jordan will sign a four-year contract worth approximately $80 million to become the Mavericks' new defensive anchor and return home to Texas, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.
This is a disappointing outcome for both Los Angeles franchises. The Clippers are now without their star center who has been a key in making them one of the Western Conference's top contenders. They're without a starting-quality center and they also moved one of their backup big men in Spencer Hawes prior to free agency. Los Angeles has limited options to upgrade it's roster with a signing, which could be a huge problem next season.
This isn't a surprising development for the Lakers, who've been considered a long shot to acquire Jordan. Now, they can look ahead at their other options. The Mavericks were reportedly looking into acquiring Roy Hibbert as a salary dump for the Indiana Pacers, which could become the Lakers' move with news of DeAndre's decision.
Lob City may never be the same.