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Summary
After being on the fringes of rosters his first two seasons in the league, Jones broke out in '18-'19 and became a regular part of the Heat's rotation over that season and the next. Jones fit in really well in Miami's system, as he was disruptive at the top of its 2-3 zone. Jones adds most of his value on the defensive end, as he is long, athletic, and has enough quickness to stay in front of guards while having the ability to protect the rim in helpside situations as well.

Jones is an elite offensive rebounder, finishing in the 85th percentile or better each of his five seasons in the league. However, that's one of the only good things you can say about his offense. He's a career 31% three point shooter, and hasn't shown much growth in that area in recent years. Jones just isn't a threat from outside, and that's one reason why he started to fall out of the rotation in the playoffs when the Heat made its Finals run.

He certainly hasn't played like the surefire starter that Portland hoped he would be, and his minutes decreased as the season progressed. I sometimes wonder if Jones would best be served as a small-ball center, but he's probably too thin to battle inside defensively on a consistent basis. Jones is still only 24, so there is hope for improvement even if it's unlikely he makes any huge leaps in the coming years.
 
Cap Considerations
Jones has a $9.7 million player option for next season, and if he declines that option he will be an unrestricted free agent with a $11.1 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights.
 
If Jones opts for free agency, the Blazers will be somewhat limited in their means of re-signing him. Since they will only have his Non-Bird Rights, the most they could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is a contract starting at $11.1 million. This should be enough to re-sign Jones, but since the Blazers will have limited resources to replace Jones if he leaves, he may be able to use that as leverage to get the full amount allowed under the Non-Bird Exception. However, the luxury tax could come into play as a factor for not re-signing, as the Blazers could be pushing into the luxury tax depending on what happens with their other free agents.
 
If Jones opts out, he would most likely demand a starting salary of more than the full $9.5 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, which means only teams with cap space will be able to sign him. It's not out of the realm of possibility though for him to opt out and once again receive the full MLE. If he wants more than that from an over-the-cap team, sign-and-trade options can be explored.

Potential Teams: Trailblazers, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Raptors, Wizards

Predicted Contract: Opt-In: $9.7 million

If opt out: 2-year, $22 million with the Trailblazers.

Actual Contract: Opt-In: $9.7 million
Jones opted in as expected, and will hope to have a better season under Chauncey Billups and a Trailblazers team that could look very different in Damian Lillard is traded.

Last updated: 7/31/2021

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