In one season of play, LA Clippers’ wing Derrick Jones Jr. faced the same injury twice, with the same timetable of return each time: six weeks. Yet the second time Jones Jr. went down, on Saturday evening against the Boston Celtics, his trade value decreased. He went from a role player who could possibly lure a first-round pick to a throw-in piece, suggesting his contract is a $10 million problem.
Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 right MCL sprain and will be re-evaluated in 6 weeks, sources tell ESPN. Jones returned last week after missing over a month with the same freak injury on the same knee against the same opponent, Boston.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 5, 2026
Unfortunately, Jones Jr. suffered a grade-two MCL sprain at a troubling time. The Clippers had coughed up their winning streak to the Boston Celtics; they needed to make a winning run in the Western Conference, and more notably, the front office had plans to trade for improvement.
With Jones Jr. possibly returning once the trade deadline and all-star weekend have been wrapped up, the Clippers’ season could look much different. Thus, Lawrence Frank must decide whether it is best to wait on him or accept a bare-minimum offer on the high-flying wing.
The Clippers’ best bet is to wait on Derrick Jones Jr.
Every contest for the LA Clippers until Derrick Jones Jr. is back will be tough. Kris Dunn has more pressure to defend, Kobe Sanders has more pressure to step up and score, and John Collins has more pressure to rim-run, at a higher rate than before, for alley-oops.
Furthermore, the Clippers should be patient; he is far too valuable for Lawrence Frank to settle for what he can get. Adversity will strike, and troubles will be faced, but that is the nature of the game.
Head coach Tyronn Lue has options on both sides of the ball who can fill in for Jones Jr. Though it will not be a replica, with a six-week wait, some production is always better than none at all.
In fact, the Clippers did great in Jones Jr.’s first official missed game amid his second MCL sprain. Sanders recorded a career-high of 20 points against the Golden State Warriors, Collins had 18 points and four blocks, and the Clippers won by one, improving to 13-22 with seven wins in the last eight games.
Two games in the Western Conference separate them from the tenth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
That said, what is wise for the Clippers would be to continue paying Jones Jr. his fully guaranteed salary during a six-week recovery period. Right now, he does not belong on the trade block. Had he been healthy, the story would have been different.