The Los Angeles Lakers are still searching for a power forward to fill out the starting lineup, and one name that has been mentioned in trade rumors is Derrick Jones Jr. of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jones, 29, is a former teammate of Luka Doncic and is entering the final season of his three-year, $30 million contract.
With the recent news of the Clippers’ punishment after being found guilty of circumventing the salary cap by giving Kawhi Leonard ‘under-the-table’ deals, Jones could be more available than ever before. He’s already been mentioned as a trade candidate, and with the Clippers now entering an unprecedented point in franchise history, they could move on from him to stack back up on draft capital after being stripped of five first-round picks.
Lakers Are Closer To Making A Derrick Jones Jr. Trade After Clippers Punishment
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Clippers have been fined $30 million and will have five first-round picks taken away, just a few of the punishments handed out by the NBA after the findings of the Leonard scandal have been announced.
“BREAKING: The NBA has ruled on the Los Angeles Clippers in for salary cap circumvention investigations on Kawhi Leonard after yearlong probe — stripping the franchise of 5 first-round picks, issuing a $30 million fine to owner Steve Ballmer and suspensions for Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker, sources tell ESPN,” the insider wrote in a bombshell post on X.
With that, the idea of the Clippers moving on and trading Jones while navigating their new reality becomes a lot more feasible.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Svyatoslav Rovenchuk believes this could be the exact moment for the Lakers to pounce on a trade for Jones to fill the starting power forward position.
“The Los Angeles Lakers should view this moment with the opportunistic lens it calls for,” he wrote on the team’s chances of landing Jones in a deal with the Clippers. “The Lakers may not be overflowing with picks, but even a couple of second-rounders should look good to the miserable little brother in Los Angeles.”
Jones put up 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 49.9% shooting for the Clippers last season, and is coming off the three best years of his career. He is an athletic and high-flying wing who doesn’t need the ball in his hands, is a strong defender, and has a proven track record playing with Doncic.
“Jones is also the type of low-maintenace offensive player that prioritizes the defensive end who would complete the starting five to perfection,” Rovenchuk added. “You would have a harder time finding reasons not to pick up the phone right now, if you were the Lakers.”
Jones, if available in a trade, could be the exact player to fill the role of power forward in the Lakers’ starting lineup next season.
Clippers Forward Isn’t New To LA Trade Rumors
Amid all the news about the Clippers’ punishment, this isn’t the first time Jones’ future with the team has been in question.
Earlier in the offseason, it was NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints who reported that Jones is on the trade block.
“They have a roster crunch at this point,” Siegel said in August. “They’re going to be looking to dump some salary between now and training camp and start of the season…We know that Derrick Jones Jr. is available in trade talks there for the Clippers.”
With that report, Maxwell Odgen subsequently named the 29-year-old a ‘dream outcome’ and ‘ultimate’ trade target for the Lakers.
“The dream outcome here would be for Derrick Jones Jr. to end up with the Lakers. Jones is an elite wing defender who excels at the point of attack, as well as a capable three-point shooter who played alongside Doncic when the Mavericks made their run to the NBA Finals,” he wrote. “Compounded by his experience alongside Doncic, Jones is the ultimate trade target. It could prove costly to bring him on, but with an expiring contract and an ideal skill set for Los Angeles’ system, it’s at least worth exploring.”
Overall, it’s still uncertain what direction the Clippers will take. Still, with Jones mentioned in trade rumors before the league announced its punishments, there’s a good chance the front office is looking even further at moving away from Jones on an expiring contract.
If that is the case, he’d be a strong fit across town and could be the missing trade target to round out an already busy offseason for the Lakers.
Lakers Get Good News As Clippers Open Door On ‘Dream’ Trade Target Derrick Jones