Of DeAndre Jordan And Handshake Deals.

Note To Self: If I ever fulfill my dream of owning an NBA team, make every player sign a contract. If they insist on handshake deals, ask for their first born or mother (whichever's more valuable) as a retainer.

DeAndre Jordan, after verbally agreeing to a four-year max deal with the Dallas Mavericks last week, has made an about-face, re-signing with the Los Angeles Clippers in a deal ESPN sources say was completed Thursday morning shortly after midnight ET at his house in Houston.

The contract with the Clippers also is a four-year max deal that will be worth an estimated $88 million, sources told ESPN. Jordan can opt out after three years.

A Clippers contingent that included coach/team president Doc Rivers, owner Steve Ballmer and star teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin descended en masse on Houston to get Jordan back, meeting him at his house.

Several of the Clippers contingent remained after the end of the meeting, staying until he was to sign the deal, which the center was first able to do at 12:01 a.m. ET Thursday when a leaguewide moratorium was lifted.

The meeting didn't last long, a source said. The group talked about the issues at hand, and then the atmosphere changed to resemble a locker-room scene, including cards and video games.

Jordan did not respond to any of the Mavs' attempts to contact him Wednesday, including phone calls and text messages, and sources said Mavericks owner Mark Cuban resultingly notified several people within the organization that Jordan would be staying with the Clippers.

Reality is, this is a free country and the NBA's collective bargaining rules make Jordan's decision to return to LA perfectly legal. But everyone in this scenario looks bad, especially Jordan, who might want to hire extra security the next time he's in the Big D. Reneging on a contract, even a verbal one, is the worst way to do business, and if the NBA is smart it'll end it's silly free agency moratorium after this debacle.

The move also shifts the balance of power in the West. With Jordan in Dallas, the net result is two mediocre teams. With Jordan as a Clipper, they've gotta be considered a Top 3 contender with Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson and some of their other offseason moves. Dallas, on the other hand, is screwed. But hey, the rules (or lack thereof) are the rules.

Adam Silver might need to fix this.

Question: Was Jordan well within his rights to back out of the Dallas deal or does this set an awful precedence for the future? Have you ever weaseled your way out of a contract?