Kai Jones Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Sign Dru Smith To Three-Year Contract

August 16th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

10:00pm: Smith has officially re-signed with Miami, per a team press release.

5:49pm: Restricted free agent guard Dru Smith will remain with the Heat on a three-year contract, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The deal has a total value of $7.9MM, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), which suggests it’ll be worth the veteran’s minimum ($7,898,151). A source tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the first year of the deal is fully guaranteed, while the final two seasons carry conditional guarantees (Twitter link).

Miami opened a roster spot to sign Smith by trading Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday. Unloading Highsmith’s $5.6MM salary enabled the Heat to add Smith and stay under the cap, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old guard appeared to be on his way to a standard contract with a strong start to last season, but he suffered an Achilles tear in December. Even though he remained inactive, the team kept him on a two-way contract for the rest of the season.

Heat officials are optimistic that Smith will be fully recovered from the injury in time for the October 22 season opener or shortly afterward, Jackson adds in a full story on the signing.

Appearing in 14 games last season, Smith averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.1 minutes per night with .508/.533/.750 shooting numbers. His improvement as a three-point shooter led to his expanded role, and Jackson points out that he logged double-digit minutes in eight straight games before the injury and played the entire fourth quarter in five of his last seven games.

Smith began his career with Miami in 2022 on a two-way contract, then went to Brooklyn later that season on a two-way deal after being waived. He returned to the Heat in the summer of 2023 and was converted to a standard contract before the start of the season. However, that campaign was cut short by his first untimely injury, as he suffered a third-degree ACL sprain in November.

Miami extended a qualifying offer to Smith in June, but league rules prevented him from signing another two-way contract with the team.

A report earlier today suggested that the Heat had interest in adding size to their roster, with an eye on free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones. Jones reportedly made a good impression during workouts in Miami this week.

Jackson believes Smith’s signing will put an end to any pursuit of Lyles or Jones. The Heat don’t have much depth in the frontcourt, but Jackson states that the need might be addressed with a trade rather than another free agent signing.

The Heat are back to 14 players with standard contracts and won’t be able to add a 15th player until later in the season without moving back into tax territory.

Jackson notes that Smith, newly re-signed Davion Mitchell and first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis are all natural point guards. However, they could all come off the bench if coach Erik Spoelstra decides to use Tyler Herro and Norman Powell as his starting backcourt.

Heat Reportedly Eyeing Big Men, Including Trey Lyles

August 16th, 2025 at 10:50am CST by Rory Maher

After sending Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah in a three-team deal last month, the Heat traded Haywood Highsmith to Brooklyn on Friday in a salary-dump move. Those transactions have left Miami thin in the frontcourt, with Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic figuring to receive the bulk of the minutes at the four and five.

According to Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com, Miami is exploring ways to add at least one more big man ahead of the 2025/26 season, with free agents Trey Lyles and Kai Jones among the players the team has expressed interest in. Jones impressed the Heat with his “energy and activity” during his workouts this week, sources tell Afseth.

A ten-year NBA veteran who was a lottery pick (12th overall) back in 2015, Lyles has spent the past three-plus seasons in Sacramento. In 69 appearances with the Kings last season, the 6’9″ power forward averaged 6.5 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 34.0% from three-point range in 19.6 minutes per game.

Jones, meanwhile, played 40 games for the Clippers and Mavericks in ’24/25, averaging 5.0 PPG and 3.1 RPG while shooting 79.8% from the field in 11.7 MPG. The 24-year-old center was the 19th pick of the 2021 draft.

As Afseth observes, Lyles and Jones provide different skill sets, with the former being a more proven depth piece and the latter offering more athleticism and upside. But either player could theoretically help the Heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.

In addition to moving below the luxury tax line, trading Highsmith also created an opening on the standard roster. Lyles or Jones could fill that 14th spot (Miami is unlikely to add a 15th man to open the season due to its proximity to the tax), but Afseth states multiple times that the Heat are considering other options as well.

Heat Notes: K. Jones, Herro, Johnson, Rotation, Schedule

August 14th, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Rory Maher

Free agent center Kai Jones is working out for the Heat this week and Miami could use depth in the middle. However, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel is skeptical the former first-round pick will make the Heat’s roster — assuming he’s offered a contract, which would likely be non-guaranteed.

As Winderman explains, due to their luxury tax situation (they’re currently slightly over the tax line), the Heat are “far more likely” to add a big man on a two-way contract than carry a 15th player on a standard deal to open the season, and Jones no longer has two-way eligibility. It’s also not unusual for free agents to work out for the Heat in the summer, but many of those auditions occur privately, Winderman writes.

Jones has reportedly drawn serious interest from the Italian team Virtus Bologna, which could offer him guaranteed money and a more significant role than Miami, so it’s unclear if a non-guaranteed training camp contract would appeal to the 24-year-old.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Between October 1 and the start of the regular season, Tyler Herro will be eligible for a contract extension that could pay him up to $149.7MM over three years. De’Aaron Fox (four years, maximum salary) and Mikal Bridges (four years, $150MM) recently signed veteran extensions and a scout who spoke to Winderman believes that, in a vacuum, Herro is the best of the three players. While locking in a core duo of Bam Adebayo and Herro with no assurances of short- or long-term team success could be costly for the Heat, particularly given Herro’s defensive limitations, waiting until next offseason could also be risky for both sides. Winderman points out that Herro would be eligible for an even more lucrative deal at that point and suggests Herro and the Heat might need to compromise to reach an agreement this fall.
Haywood Highsmith‘s knee injury may open rotation minutes for second-year forward Keshad Johnson, at least during the preseason, Winderman adds in the same story. Johnson rarely played for the Heat as a rookie in 2024/25, having spent most of the season in the G League. It’s unclear if Highsmith will be available for the start of the regular season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn right meniscus.
In a separate mailbag, Winderman states that head coach Erik Spoelstra is unlikely to make major lineup decisions based on how players perform during the Heat’s six-game preseason slate. That’s not to say training camp won’t be important — Winderman just thinks practices will likely be weighed more heavily than the exhibition games.
Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald shares his takeaways from the Heat’s schedule, which was released this afternoon along with every other team. Miami will only be featured in five nationally televised games in ’25/26 — only seven teams have fewer national TV games, Chiang notes.

Heat Notes: Jones, Jakucionis, Burks, Powell, Preseason

August 12th, 2025 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Kai Jones‘ workout with the Heat on Monday wasn’t just a one-day affair. According to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the free agent center is actually spending four days working out at Kaseya Center this week as the club considers whether to sign him. No decisions have been made yet, but a source tells Jackson that the Heat have “long shown an appreciation” for the former first-rounder’s skill set.

The Heat have 14 players on standard contracts and could make Jones their 15th man, but the club is just a little over the luxury tax line and may not fill that final roster spot to open the season. The big man is also ineligible to receive a two-way contract.

While Jackson suggests an Exhibit 10 deal could be a possibility, Jones has reportedly drawn serious interest from the Italian team Virtus Bologna, who could offer him guaranteed money and a more significant role, so it’s unclear if a non-guaranteed camp contract would appeal to the 24-year-old.

We have more on the Heat:

Within that same Herald story, Jackson spoke to a veteran Eastern Conference scout to get his take on the Heat’s place in the Eastern Conference hierarchy, their offseason acquisition of Norman Powell, what they can expect from Simone Fontecchio, and his impressions of first-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis. On that last subject, the scout wasn’t especially enthusiastic. “NBA people I talked to in Las Vegas were killing him, didn’t have anything nice to say about him,” the scout said of Jakucionis. “Quickness and shooting were my concern. Can he beat [skilled NBA players] off the dribble? He better be able to make shots. His play was disappointing, but I’m not ready to judge. He’s [very young at 19].”
While Alec Burks expressed interest at the end of last season in returning to the Heat, a reunion with the veteran guard no longer makes sense after the club added Powell and Fontecchio, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required).
The Heat have no shortage of players benefiting from international competition this summer, with Powell, Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic, and Pelle Larsson all representing their national teams, as Winderman writes for The Sun Sentinel (subscription required). Powell led Jamaica to the two wins they needed in order to advance out of the World Cup pre-qualifying round before sitting out the third and final game of this competition window, Winderman adds (via Twitter).
The Heat and Magic announced on Tuesday that they’ll open their preseason with a game in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 4. In total, the Heat will play six preseason games, as they outlined in a press release.
Heat Hall-of-Famers Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, and Pat Riley will be the presenters when longtime team owner Micky Arison is inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame next month, per a press release.

Kai Jones Working Out For Heat

August 11th, 2025 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent big man Kai Jones is working out for the Heat on Monday, according to NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link).

The 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones played for the Clippers and Mavericks in 2024/25, appearing in 40 total games and averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per contest.

Jones began last season on a two-way contract with the Clippers, then was waived on March 1 so the team could bring in a couple of new two-way players. He caught on immediately with the injury-plagued Mavericks, who were desperately seeking frontcourt depth as they pushed for a play-in spot. Jones averaged 11.4 PPG and 6.6 RPG in 12 games (21.7 MPG) with Dallas down the stretch, even making six starts for the Mavs.

Reporting over the weekend indicated that Jones was making progress toward a potential deal with Virtus Bologna, but Haynes’ update today suggests the 24-year-old hasn’t given up on the idea of catching on with an NBA team for the 2025/26 season.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel notes (via Twitter), Miami still has several spots available on its 21-man training camp roster and makes a habit of working out veteran free agents during the offseason. Some of those free agents – including R.J. Hampton and Nassir Little – have earned camp invites in recent years.

If Jones is going to open the ’25/26 season with an NBA team, he’ll have to be part of a club’s standard 15-man roster, since he’s no longer eligible to sign a two-way contract.

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Kai Jones Close To Signing With Virtus Bologna

August 10th, 2025 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Kai Jones is nearing a deal with Virtus Bologna, sources tell Alessandro Maggi of Sportando (Twitter link).

The 24-year-old center signed with the Clippers at the end of the 2023/24 season, then landed a two-way contract in last year’s training camp. After being waived at the start of March, he finished the season on a two-way deal with the Mavericks.

Jones saw limited action in 28 games with L.A., but he had a much larger role once he joined the shorthanded Dallas team. He appeared in 12 games, making six starts and averaging 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 21.7 minutes per night while shooting 83.6% from the field.

The Mavericks showed interest in bringing Jones back, but they’ll have a full roster with the expected re-signing of Dante Exum. It appears Jones – who is no longer eligible for a two-way contract – is opting for guaranteed money overseas instead of waiting for another NBA opportunity.

Selected with the 19th pick in the 2021 draft, Jones was a highly touted prospect after two years at Texas. He was waived after two disappointing seasons with Charlotte and had to work his way back through the G League.

Virtus Bologna’s roster already includes former NBA players Carsen Edwards, Luca Vildoza and Alen Smailagic. A report on Saturday indicated that the Italian team also had interest in Kenneth Faried.

Mavericks Notes: Jones, Prosper, Broghamer, Handy, Russell

July 3rd, 2025 at 10:50am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks have shown interest in re-signing big man Kai Jones, according to Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com, but they’ll have to perform some roster gymnastics to make that happen.

The Mavericks will have 16 players on standard contracts once they re-sign Dante Exum, who was a higher priority for Dallas’ front office than Jones. The former Hornets center appeared in a dozen games with Dallas after the Clippers waived him at the beginning of March.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper is considered to have the most tradable contract among the Mavericks’ expendable margin players, Afseth adds. He’s earning about $3MM in 2025/26 and isn’t owed any guaranteed money beyond the coming season.

We have more on the Mavericks:

Josh Broghamer will coach the Mavs’ Summer League team, a roster that includes top pick Cooper Flagg, Afseth reports. Jared Dudley has coached the Summer League team in recent years, but appears on the verge of finding work elsewhere.
Updating his own report that Phil Handy is a candidate for the Mavericks’ coaching staff, Marc Stein tweets that the Knicks also have interest in Handy for Mike Brown‘s new staff in New York. Handy worked for Brown with the Lakers and Cavaliers.
After Stein mentioned Mike Penberthy as a potential target for the Mavericks’ staff on Wednesday, Afseth classifies the Mavs’ interest in the veteran assistant as “serious,” labeling him a strong candidate to join Jason Kidd‘s staff. Penberthy, who was an assistant alongside Kidd with the Lakers during their championship season, is known as a shooting coach and has earned praise from Mavericks star Anthony Davis for helping him improve as a shooter, Afseth adds.
The Mavs were looking for a player to bridge the gap until Kyrie Irving returns from his knee injury and D’Angelo Russell can fit the bill, Christian Clark of The Athletic writes. Russell is coming off one of his worst seasons but he played well for the Lakers the previous year. Russell agreed to a two-year deal in the $12MM range, a very reasonable price for a rotation player.

Western Notes: Jones, Davis, Wolves, Blazers, Cronin

April 10th, 2025 at 10:12pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Kai Jones has filled a critical role since joining the Mavericks on a two-way contract in early March. In 11 games (six starts) for a Dallas team suffering from crucial injuries, Jones is averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 84.8% from the field.

According to RG.org’s Grant Afseth, head coach Jason Kidd was complimentary of Jones and recognized his impact on keeping Dallas in the postseason picture.

“Kai’s been phenomenal,” Kidd said. “We’re very lucky to have him because he’s part of what saved our season.”

In an exclusive interview with Afseth, Jones spoke about what allowed him to emerge for the Mavericks and how he’s developed since entering the league in 2021.

“I’ve been working on everything, from the summertime to now, just working on my all-around game — understanding the game, understanding when to take certain shots, when to shoot three, when to shoot the mid-range, when to attack,” Jones said. “Just continuing to rep everything out. I feel comfortable everywhere on the floor, so it’s been a good opportunity to show that. Just continuing to work every single day, you know how it is.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

Terence Davis was thankful to receive the call to join the Kings and is excited to be back with the team he spent parts of three seasons with from 2021-23, according to Fox 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham (Twitter link). “Any time you come to a familiar place and you have friends and front office guys, teammates that show love to you, it’s awesome, it’s an amazing feeling,” Davis said. “In my case, I feel like I kind of made a small impact on this organization. … I’m just thankful.” In 121 appearances (16 starts) with the Kings during his original stint, Davis averaged 8.6 points per game.
The Timberwolves showed what kind of team they were when they lost a Tuesday game against Milwaukee in which they led by 24 points in the fourth quarter, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic opines. The Bucks were able flip the script of the game by switching to a zone defense. “It’s a bad fourth quarter against a zone defense,” coach Chris Finch said. “I don’t think it’s a microcosm of the season.” Krawczynski believes it’s deeper than that, with Minnesota rolling through parts of the season before coming to a screeching halt in a difficult loss.
Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin earned an extension on Monday, showcasing the club’s dedication to fulfilling his vision for the organization, Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report writes. Portland has had a respectable season, staying in play-in contention until the spring, with young players like Toumani Camara among those who have taken serious strides. Now, as Highkin notes, the Blazers will need to make decisions on key veterans Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant and the future of coach Chauncey Billups.

Mavericks Promote Brandon Williams To Standard Contract

April 10th, 2025 at 3:35pm CST by Arthur Hill

April 10: Williams’ promotion to the standard roster is official, the Mavericks announced today (via Twitter). He’s now eligible to appear in Dallas’ final two regular season games and the play-in tournament, as well as the playoffs (if the Mavs qualify).

Since the move was finalized on Thursday, Dallas won’t have enough room under its hard cap to complete a second signing before season’s end, so it appears Edwards and Jones will remain on their two-way deals.

April 8: Two-way guard Brandon Williams will get a two-year standard contract later this week when the Mavericks are able to add another player to their 15-man roster, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The upcoming move was confirmed by Williams’ agents, Derek Lafayette and Fess Irvin of Skyward Sports.

Dallas has been shorthanded for the last several weeks because of hard-cap restrictions that prevent the team from signing another player until April 10. Williams, who recently reached his 50-game limit on the active roster as a two-way player, has been a standout as the Mavs try to hold onto a spot in the play-in tournament.

Williams appeared in 31 games, averaging 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 14.8 minutes per night with .511/.379/.857 shooting numbers. His production increased sharply after Kyrie Irving was lost for the season in early March with a torn ACL, as Williams delivered 16.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per night in 11 games after Irving’s injury.

Williams began his NBA career with Portland in 2021/22 and spent the following season in the G League. He signed a two-way contract with Dallas in 2023 and another one last summer. He figures to have a featured role in the postseason with the Mavericks low on guards, and he may be counted on as a starter next season considering the projected timeline for Irving’s recovery.

Dallas was reportedly giving consideration to all three of its two-way players to fill the roster opening, as Kessler Edwards, who also reached his 50-game limit, and Kai Jones, who has one game remaining, have been impressive as well.

Dallas could fit two of them on the roster by waiting until Friday instead of Thursday to sign Williams, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), but a current member of the standard roster would have to be waived to create another opening.

Western Notes: Curry, K. Jones, Payton, Mitchell, Jazz

March 27th, 2025 at 7:21pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is optimistic that Stephen Curry will return from his pelvic contusion on Friday in New Orleans, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

According to Slater, Curry took part in a six-minute scrimmage followed by an individual workout on Thursday. The two-time MVP, who has missed the past two games, will be listed as questionable for Friday’s contest. Curry sustained the injury on March 20 after a hard fall against Toronto.

Here are a few more notes from the Western Conference:

Mavericks center Kai Jones had an impressive block on Franz Wagner in the first quarter of Thursday’s game in Orlando and immediately followed it up with an alley-oop dunk off an assist from Naji Marshall (Twitter video link via Christian Clark of The Athletic). Unfortunately, Jones was unable to brace himself after the dunk and had a scary-looking fall, with all of his weight landing on his left hip. The Mavericks later ruled him out for the remainder of the contest with a left hip contusion (Twitter link). Jones, who is on a two-way deal with Dallas, has started each of his past four games and played well over that span. He recently missed seven games with a left quad strain.
Veteran guard Elfrid Payton, who is on a 10-day contract with the Pelicans, shined in Monday’s victory over Philadelphia, writes Rod Walker of NOLA.com. The Louisiana native finished with six points, six rebounds, 14 assists and was plus-14 in 25 minutes off the bench. “It felt good,” Payton said. “Felt like I was at home again. I love being here. This is the best thing ever.”
Star guard Donovan Mitchell recently returned to Utah to face the Jazz for just the second time since he was traded to Cleveland in the 2022 offseason. While in town, he reflected on his Jazz tenure, per Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune (subscriber link). “I think we had our opportunity. We had a lot of windows. I think we had our opportunity, we just missed it,” Mitchell said. “I think it’s just one of those things, we had plenty of opportunities to get things done. We had injuries that one year. The last year we were together, you know, we just didn’t capitalize. Sometimes you just miss your window. I talk about it with my friends a lot, we’re comparing this team we have now versus the first place team we had here (in Utah). I’ve gotten to a point that is like, ‘It’s okay,‘ We did a lot of positive things.”