The Dallas Mavericks have allowed young role players to leave for free.
Following the turbulent 2024-25 NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks are preparing for a massive comeback next season.
Cooper Flag, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis are expected to lead their team to glory after breaking up with Luka Donsic last season.
Apart from Doncic, Mavericks fans will not see another young star on the roster for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The NBA is the world’s largest basketball league, but not all players carve out a permanent career.
The same applies to the former 19th overall pick at the 2021 NBA draft, the Kai Jones. According to a recent press release, Jones has a talent for Europe by signing a one-year contract with Turkish team Anadoru Evs.
“We signed a one-year contract with the Bahamas player Kai Jones who played last season with the NBA Dallas Mavericks.
“A player born in 2001 at 2.11 meters tall can play both center and power forward positions,” the club announced (H/T Eurohoop).
Last season, Jones was featured in 12 Mavericks games, averaging 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the team.
Jones wasn’t a lottery pick in 2021, but he had a solid 2020-21 campaign with the Texas Longhorns. After all, Jones was chosen as the sixth man in the big 12 of that season.
However, Jones was unable to advance that momentum into his NBA career. Despite being first selected by the New York Knicks, Jones never wore an iconic team jersey.
Instead, he spent the first two years of his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets. Jones has already returned to a short stint with the LA Clippers and Mavericks after playing overseas in his third year.
He averaged 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game in his career. Jones was a temporary target for the Miami Heat, but given his career average in mind, it’s no surprise that he moved to Europe.