The Golden State Warriors selected Lajae Jones with the 54th overall pick of the 2026 NBA draft.
Jones had an interesting path to the draft, playing for four different colleges. He had his best season as a senior for the Florida State Seminoles. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 33 games.
But before he could begin his NBA career, Jones took his talents overseas and won’t be playing for the Warriors this season.
Lajae Jones Signs With Italian Club
After playing for the Golden State Warriors’ Summer League team, Lajae Jones faced a tough challenge of earning a roster spot at training camp.
The Warriors have already signed Malevy Leons and L.J. Cryer for two of their three two-way contract spots. They gave the third to Graham Ike over the weekend, making Jones the odd man out.
According to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando, Jones has officially signed with Pallacanestro Trieste of the Lega Basket Serie A in Italy.
It’s not a bad move by Jones, who will earn money as a professional and gain valuable experience playing overseas. He could also return to the Warriors to start his NBA career in the future since the franchise still owns his draft rights.
Pallacanestro Trieste GM Releases Statement
In an official press release, Pallacanestro Trieste general manager Michael Arcieri issued a statement on the signing of Lajae Jones.
“Lajae possesses a combination of pure basketball talent, physical strength, power and explosiveness, and positional versatility that is rarely found in a single player,” Arcieri said. “He is the prototype of what has become known as ‘basketball without roles’: a player who impacts the game in every single second of the game — on both ends of the court, under both backboards, in the open court in transition and at the basket in traffic.”
Arcieri also revealed that the Golden State Warriors staff will work with the club to monitor and aid the development of Jones.
“Our collaboration, throughout the season, with the Golden State Warriors staff regarding Lajae’s development represents an incredibly inspiring opportunity for our staff and our organization,” Arcieri said. “It gives me great satisfaction to see the talent and dedication of our staff being recognized in this way.”
Jones joins NBA veteran Langston Galloway on the roster. Former Warriors forward Juan Toscano-Anderson played for Trieste last season.
Trieste are five-time Italian league winners. They haven’t won a championship since 1940-41, so it’s a big task for Jones to help the club attain glory.
The Biancorossi finished seventh in the league last season, reaching the quarterfinals of the playoffs. They pushed the second-seeded Pallacanestro Brescia to the limit in five games.
Golden State Warriors 2nd-Round Pick Delays NBA Career to Play Overseas