MAVS NEWS:

[SleepingHero]

Nico

Q: You said re-signing Derrick Jones Jr. was priority 1A and 1B for this offseason. Why didn’t that happen and how much did his change of representation have to do with that?
HARRISON: “Honestly, it’s a better question for him to answer. I mean, I don’t know. I guess he liked LA better than Dallas.”
Related:Ex-Mavericks F Derrick Jones Jr. agrees to three-year deal with Clippers, reports say
Q: Were you surprised at his decision?
HARRISON: “Yeah. But honestly, we have Naji and I’m excited about Naji. I did say [Jones] was 1A and 1B, and that’s how we approached it. That’s how we approached him for the whole year, in terms of how we approached him with respect and the love that we showed him and also the play that he had with our guys. He deserved it too, but he made his own choice. And we have Naji. We’re excited about Naji.”

That basically screams to me that the Mavs were blindsided by DJJ not playing ball and he wanted way more money than what the Mavs were offering.

Mavs pivoted quickly, which took the wind out from DJJ's sails (pun intended here cause of the Clippers), and he lost all of his negotiating leverage. He panicked and took a slightly bigger deal from LAC, which at the end of the day should be less guaranteed money after taxes than what he would've gotten had he just stayed with the Mavs.