The Warriors will offer center DeAndre Jordan a four-year, $40 million contract Sunday, according to team sources.
If Jordan signs the offer sheet, the Los Angeles Clippers will have three days to match the offer to Jordan, a restricted free agent. If they don't match, Jordan, 23, will be a Warrior.
The Clippers reportedly offered Jordan a five-year deal worth $40 million. They reportedly were hesitant to offer too much to Jordan because they plan to go after Orlando center Dwight Howard. But one league source said that with Howard primarily interested in the New Jersey Nets, the Clippers will be more inclined to match and try to trade center Chris Kaman to create salary cap space.
Another incentive for the Clippers to match the Warriors' offer is that Jordan is best friends with Clippers' franchise star Blake Griffin.
One source said Jordan was fourth on the Warriors' list of desired big men, but the other three proved too expensive. Tyson Chandler, their top choice, signed with New York for four years and a reported $56 million. Denver's Nene, an unrestricted free agent, is asking for $15 million per season, which one team source said is at least what it would take to pry restricted free agent center Marc Gasol away from Memphis.
Jordan is the least proven on the Warriors' wish list. He averaged 7.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 25.6 minutes last season, his fourth in the NBA, and is much more potential than production.
The Warriors have waived guard Jeremy Lin, a local product and fan favorite, and held off on signing rookies Klay Thompson and Jeremy Tyler so they can have enough cap space to make an offer to Jordan. The Warriors will also have to use their amnesty clause to waive guard Charlie Bell in order to create enough room under the salary cap to sign Jordan.
If Jordan signs the offer sheet Sunday and the Clippers take the full three days to make a decision, that means Thompson and Tyler couldn't sign their contracts and join training camp until Wednesday.
Sign of a new, more confident Biedrins? Perhaps. But coach Mark Jackson said he isn't too concerned with Biedrins' free throws.
"My stance on his free-throw shooting is," Jackson said, "I want him to make them, but at the end of the day, it's overrated. He's going to be at the foul line two or three times a game. Make or miss, how much does it matter if he's rebounding, if he's blocking shots, if he's finishing at the rim? (Free throws) can be overblown. I want him to be the Andris Biedrins he was when he was dominating the paint area. "
Biedrins is a 51.1 percent free-throw shooter in his NBA career, including 14 for 56 (25 percent) the past two seasons.


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