EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Derrick Jones Jr. has not requested a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, ClutchPoints reporter Tomer Azarly reported Friday.
“To address a recent post I saw, Derrick Jones Jr. has not requested a trade from the Clippers, per source,” Azarly wrote. “Both he and the team have a great relationship and the two sides are open to extension talks to keep the forward in Los Angeles.”
The report landed nine days after the NBA announced penalties against the franchise for violating the league’s salary cap circumvention rules. On Sept. 2, the league fined the Clippers $30 million, stripped them of first-round picks in 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, and 2033, and placed the team under a five-year compliance and monitoring program. Owner Steve Ballmer was suspended from all league and team activities for one year. President of business operations Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year without pay, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank for six months without pay. Kawhi Leonard was ordered to pay $700,000 in restitution.
Azarly said on the Third Apron podcast that Jones would like to remain in Los Angeles.
“But it just depends on the kind of the roster crunch and also I think sometimes agents see different opportunities around the league to play more, make more money, try contend for a championship potentially,” Azarly said. “So, that can also weigh into it. If they see a better opportunity somewhere, I think they’ll approach the Clippers, and the Clippers in good faith will try to get them where they want to go and facilitate a deal there that works for both sides.”
Derrick Jones Jr.’s Season With the Dallas Mavericks
Jones spent 2023-24 with the Dallas Mavericks, starting 66 of his 76 regular-season games and averaging 8.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 23.5 minutes. He started all 22 postseason games during the run to the NBA Finals and averaged 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range.
He signed with the Clippers in July 2024.
Derrick Jones Jr.’s Contract and 2027 Free Agency
Last season, Jones appeared in 50 games with 45 starts and averaged 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 27.0 minutes. He shot 49.9% from the field, 35.9% from 3-point range, and 76.3% from the line.
Across 10 seasons, he has played 547 games and averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 50.6% shooting. He went undrafted out of UNLV in 2016, signed with Phoenix, and won the Slam Dunk Contest at 2020 All-Star Weekend. He turned 29 in February.
Jones is in the final season of the three-year, $30 million contract he signed in July 2024. He made $10 million last season and is owed roughly $10.5 million in 2026-27. Without an extension, he reaches unrestricted free agency in July 2027.
