Clippers Signing Derrick Jones Jr. To Three-Year Contract

The Los Angeles Clippers and former Dallas Mavericks small forward Derrick Jones Jr. have agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

This becomes the Clippers’ second notable free agent signing since the market opened Sunday evening, as Jones joins former Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. as LA’s newest veteran members.

That said, the Clippers announced that star forward Paul George won’t return. They reportedly also are losing guard Eric Gordon to the Philadelphia 76ers and center Miles Plumlee to the Phoenix Suns. George is believed to be headed for Philadelphia, though that’s far from concrete at the moment.

Jones, 27, is coming off a breakout season as a starter for a Mavs squad that reached the Finals before losing to the Boston Celtics. The Mavs beat the Clippers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Jones, a former Slam Dunk Contest champion, averaged career-highs virtually across the board this past season, with 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in 76 games. He started 66 of them. He also shot 48.3% from the field and a career-best 34.3% on 3-pointers.

Meanwhile, Porter is receiving a reported two-year deal after spending last season in Greece.

“After six weeks of strong play in Greece in April and May, Porter had multiple NBA suitors and chose the Clippers,” Charania wrote.

Porter, 23, has been out of the league since his arrest in September following an altercation with his ex-girlfriend, NBA player Kysre Gondrezick. He was originally charged with felony counts of strangulation and assault, though he reached a plea deal in January.

Porter ended up pleading guilty to reckless assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, as well as harassment in the second degree.

In the wake of all this, the Rockets traded Porter to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who immediately waived him. He has been out of the NBA since.