Free agency in the NBA started in earnest today, but don't tell Mark Cuban that. The owner of the Dallas Mavericks was swindled out of his biggest free agent catch in a ridiculous, emoji-laden saga that highlights the issues with the NBA's false-start free agency system.
In the NBA, contracts for free agents expire June 30, which means those players are allowed to start negotiating with teams at the stroke of midnight July 1 — but actual pen-to-paper contracts cannot be signed until July 9. That interim "moratorium" period proved to be quite the whirlwind this year, as free agent DeAndre Jordan reneged on a verbal commitment he'd made to Cuban's Mavericks to re-sign with the Clippers at midnight on July 9, following a series of ridiculous tweets from fully grown, incredibly rich men. Here's Clippers forward Blake Griffin alluding to Los Angeles' 11th-hour plea to Jordan, which consisted of a team contingent arriving at Jordan's Houston home and apparently barricading him inside:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Exploring Easter Island, one of the world's most remote inhabited islandsThe Week Recommends It takes time and effort to travel to this mystical locale
-
Linda McMahon, the former wrestling mogul tapped for Department of EducationIn the Spotlight Longtime Trump ally set for nomination as secretary of the agency despite limited background in the field
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikesSpeed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
