Andre Jordan had a verbal agreement with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to sign with the team only to backflip at the last minute to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The investigation by the NBA might just have offered a clue as to why.

The Los Angeles Clippers was meted a fine of $250,000 for allegedly greasing the deal offered to Andre Jordan with a third-party endorsement.

"The deal was with Lexus and it would have paid Jordan about $200,000 annually, according to NBA officials not authorized to speak publicly on the matter," said The Los Angeles Times. "The endorsement deal, according to one official, was pitched by the Clippers' business side."

The investigation, however, claimed that the endorsement had nothing to do with Andre Jordan signing back with the Los Angeles Clippers after the verbal commitment with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. But a $250,000 fine is still warranted in this case.

"The NBA said league rules prohibit teams from providing or arranging for others to provide to a player unless it is included in a player's contract or is otherwise permitted under the collective bargaining agreement," it added.

Meanwhile, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and other team executives remain mum on the $250,000 fine from the NBA.

Over at the Mavsblog, Mavericks fans criticized the measly fine that the NBA meted on Los Angeles Lakers for the deal.

One fan wrote that the fine was a "Drop in the bucket....no deterrent for anybody in the major sports to stop this type of behavior. Should ban him from playing a getting paid for 1 ear, and the Clippers should lose 1st round pick next years....my opnion."

Another wrote, "The money is a drop in the bucket for the team, but it is good seeing the NBA acknowledge that the Clips were in the wrong on this."

A third quipped, "I'm sure Steve Ballmer was able to pay it by going through some of the pants he wore last week that he has in his dirty hamper."