Mavericks player Chandler Parsons torches 'scared,' 'unprofessional' DeAndre Jordan for backing out of $80 million deal
Parsons, who shares the same agent as Jordan, became the lead recruiter early in free agency, at one point spending six-straight days with Jordan.
In a tell-all interview with ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Parsons trashed Jordan's decision to back out on the Mavericks, saying he was "shocked, very disappointed, frustrated, disrespected."
"He wasn't ready for being a franchise player. He was scared," he told ESPN. "He was scared to take the next step in his career."
The whole thing is worth a read, but here are some of the stand-out quotes.
On Jordan's decision to spurn the Mavericks:
"When a man gives you his word and an organization his word, especially when that organization put in so much effort and I walked him through this process and was very, very open and willing to work with him, it's just very unethical and disrespectful."
On whether the Mavericks could have done anything differently to keep Jordan in Dallas:
"There is nothing more that we could have physically, emotionally possibly done to make him feel more comfortable and to make him stay and sign with Dallas. I guess maybe I could have stayed with him in L.A. or Houston and held his hand throughout the entire process, but I didn't think that ever I would have to do something like that."
On if the gamble Dallas took by going all-in on Jordan was worth it:
"This was a risk that we were willing to take, and I think it was worth taking. It's not our fault. We did everything that we could. We had a verbal commitment from a grown-ass man. Like, there's nothing else that we could have done."
He also called Jordan's refusal to take Mark Cuban's phone calls on Wednesday "unprofessional."
Throughout the interview, Parsons repeats that it isn't personal between him and Jordan and that they'll maintain a friendship, but he'll remain taken back by how Jordan backed out of the deal. He also says he's personally fine, but feels bad for Mark Cuban, who was committed to signing Jordan and making him a centerpiece for Dallas' future.
Read the entire interview here. >