On an eventful first day of free agency in Los Angeles, the Clippers have agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with former Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr., The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports.
News of the deal broke Sunday shortly after the Clippers announced that nine-time All-Star Paul George would not return to the team after the two sides failed to reach a new deal. The Clippers earlier Sunday reportedly did agree on a two-year, $70 million contract with James Harden and another with Kevin Porter Jr., who will make his return to the NBA after a season away following domestic assault charges.
Jones, 27, obviously won’t fill the void left behind by Paul, a high-end two-way player who’s made six All-NBA teams. He does provide the Clippers with an athletic wing defender who can play either forward position and attack the basket with the ball in his hands.
In 76 games including 66 starts last season, Jones averaged 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, one assist, 0.7 blocks and 0.7 steals per game. He shot 48.3% from the floor and a career-high 34.3% on 3.1 3-point attempts per game.