Is DeAndre Jordan Worth $24.1 Million?

The Dallas Mavericks got their hands on a player they long-coveted this offseason, signing All-Star center DeAnde Jordan to a one-year contract worth approximately $24.1 million.

Jordan is now part of a Mavericks team that's hoping to return to playoff contention. With Dirk Nowitzki still playing at an effective level and prized rookie Luka Doncic set to make an immediate impact, the Mavericks are in prime position to fight for one of the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference.

Now, the Mavericks have nothing to lose in giving Jordan a one-year contract. The 30-year-old has the chance to reset his value for a monster long-term deal next year. Whether it would come from Dallas or another team is anybody's guess.

But, is Jordan really worth superstar money? According to ESPN.com, Jordan's salary - just over $22.897 million - ranks 33rd in the NBA for the 2018-19 season. That's more than Jimmy Butler (arguably a top-10 player), and San Antonio Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge.

Jordan is being paid than a handful of superstars, even though he's only been selected to one All-Star game in his career. Jordan has also been regarded as one of the NBA's elite defensive players. He led the league in rebounds during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 season, but his last selection to the All-Defensive First Team was in 2016 - three seasons ago.

The 30-year-old Jordan was ranked as the league's 77th-best player by Dan Favale and Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report. And yet, he's just outside the top-30 in player salaries.

Is Jordan still a world class defender? as Favale and Fromal noted (citing Cleaning the Glass), the Los Angeles Clippers were actually better defensively when Jordan was off the court. Their defensive rating jumped up by 3.4 points per 100 possessions, so maybe he's not as great defensively as some believe.

Now, it's hard to blame Jordan entirely for having a decline in production for the 2017-18 season. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin long gone, the Clippers became Jordan's team - he was no longer the third-best player in LA's "big three." The limited skill set and offensive abilities were bound to hold back Jordan from performing like a bonafide superstar.

The problem with Jordan's salary is that the Mavericks are paying a guy who can only contribute so much offensively. His best offensive seasons were 2015-16 and 2016-17, when Jordan averaged 12.7 points per game. That ranked 11th among centers in both seasons, so not exactly worthy of $24 million this season.

The Mavericks would have been better off signing former All-Star Dwight Howard in free agency. The Washington Wizards got him on a two-year contract worth approx. $10.940 million, per Spotrac.com, though Howard can opt out after the first year.

Howard isn't the same All-Star that could once put up 20 points and double-digit rebounds per game like clockwork, but he remains just as fine defensively and is still a good scorer. Howard averaged 13.5 points per game last season and seems better suited for Dallas' offense. He and Nowitzki would have formed quite the front court duo.

But the Mavericks are investing a lot of money out of Jordan for one year. If this was a two-year contract, it would make a little more sense. But a player who's limited on offense and can only do so much defensively simply isn't worth that much money. The Mavericks have avoided spending big in free agency during the rebuild, so the Jordan signing raises more questions than answers here.

Jordan had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the Mavs' season opener, a 121-100 blowout road loss to the Phoenix Suns. That's probably the sort of production head coach Rick Carlisle can expect from Jordan, who's not going to suddenly morph into a world class scorer or elite defender again.

This isn't a knock against Jordan by any means. He's a top-10 all-around center in the NBA and has displayed excellent defense throughout his career. But players of his caliber start to slow down once they turn 30, and we saw Jordan's production decline before the Mavericks gave him that $24 million deal.

Again, the Mavericks have nothing to lose on this one-year deal. Maybe Jordan is a fine fit in Dallas, and maybe they get a multi-year deal done (with a lesser annual salary), after this season.

But unless Jordan returns to his old defensive form and has a career year offensively, it's hard to envision him justifying the $24.1 million salary.

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