THURSDAY, 3:00pm: The signing is official, the team announced via a press release.
MONDAY, 12:18pm: The Nets and 11-year veteran Dahntay Jones have agreed to terms on a non-guaranteed deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The Clippers, Kings and Knicks expressed interest in signing the Mark Bartelstein client on the first day of free agency, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported at that point, but the market for the 34-year-old had seemed to dry up since then.
Jones finished this past season on the Clippers after signing a pair of 10-day contracts. It was his first NBA action in a while, since he hadn’t played in the NBA during the 2013/14 season, and the Jazz waived his non-guaranteed contract shortly before opening night in 2014. His work on the defensive end has helped him to a lengthy NBA career even though he’s only averaged double-digit points per game once, in 2009/10 with the Pacers. Jones put up less than a point per game in 3.7 minutes per contest for the Clippers, but the team apparently thought highly of his contribution to team chemistry.
His pedigree as a former Duke Blue Devil surely endears him to fellow Dukie Billy King, the Nets GM, but Jones nonetheless faces a challenge to make the opening night roster in Brooklyn. The Nets only have 12 fully guaranteed contracts, but five others have partially guaranteed money in their deals with Brooklyn.
Do you think the Nets will keep Jones for the regular season, or will he be a camp casualty? Leave a comment to share your thoughts.
If the Nets are going to try to contend this year, I could see them finding a role for a veteran defender like Jones. But if they’re going to emphasize developing their young talent, it’s hard to see how he fits in.
Jones faces an uphill battle at his age to secure a roster spot. But Lionel Hollins certainly values vets who can defend, so it’s not out of the question.