DeAndre Jordan Not Ready To Be Franchise Player: Chandler Parsons

One day after DeAndre Jordan spurned the Dallas Mavericks to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas forward Chandler Parsons did not mince words in criticizing Jordan for backing away from a verbal agreement with the Mavs.

In his first lengthy interview about the Jordan debacle, Parsons described how the situation left the Mavericks out in the cold in free agency and how Jordan revealed himself to be “unethical” and “disrespectful” towards the Mavs organization, particularly to Dallas owner Mark Cuban.

“It’s a lot of pressure. Maybe he got nerves about being a franchise player and having the pressure of leading a team. He’s very comfortable in L.A. He can play behind Chris Paul, play behind Blake Griffin,” Parsons told ESPN.com on Thursday. “That’s what I thought he didn’t want. Throughout the process, that’s what he told me he didn’t want. He wanted to take the next step in his career. He wanted to be the man on his team and build something special.”

Parsons described the situation as being similar to when he decided to leave the Houston Rockets in the 2014 offseason. Parsons played behind established stars James Harden and Dwight Howard in Houston but moved to Dallas after signing a three-year, $46 million deal.

Parsons was also particular about Jordan’s lack of respect to the Mavericks owner.

“Be a professional. Pick up the phone. If you’re not going to meet with him, pick up the phone and tell the guy that you’re committed to what you’re feeling, what you’re going through and maybe he can talk it out and help you,” Parsons said. “But do not ignore the guy. Do not make him sit there and sweat it out. That’s just very unprofessional. I can’t get over that part.”

The Clippers signed Jordan to a four-year, $87 million contract Wednesday after Jordan verbally committed to the Mavericks for $80 million over the same number of seasons on July 1.