The LA Clippers are officially signing Derrick Jones Jr. to a three-year, $30 million deal in free agency. The soon-to-be former Mavericks wing earns the deal after a career year in Dallas, helping the franchise reach their first NBA Finals in 13 seasons.
Earlier on Sunday, news broke that Paul George would officially be leaving the Clippers and signing elsewhere as a free agent. A massive hole on the roster was about to be created, and the addition of Derrick will begin to offset that loss.
Truthfully, the Clippers were already short on wings even before the news of George's departure became common knowledge. When they acquired James Harden last October, LA gave up a plethora of rotation players to obtain the former MVP. Granted, that deficiency did not make too much of a difference in the regular season, as the Clippers rolled their opponents throughout the winter.
But come playoff time and faced with a bad matchup in a Mavericks team stacked with versatile, big wings, the Clippers were up the creek without a paddle. Add in Kawhi Leonard's injury, and their lack of wing depth became their ultimate undoing.
The Clippers added much-needed wing depth with Derrick Jones Jr.
Now, LA will be at least a little better suited for challenging matchups in the playoffs next year. More role players will still need to be added to plug other holes, but this was about as good a signing as the Clippers could have hoped for. Jones is coming off a career year in Dallas where he showed just how valuable he can truly be.
For much of the first seven seasons of his career, Derrick was underutilized. Known by many as simply a terrific athlete, his overall skillset was less developed and he never had a big opportunity to show he can be a game-changer when it matters most. When he arrived with the Mavs last offseason, all that changed.
Jones became one of the best in his role in the association. Excelling as a three-and-D wing, Derrick put up career-bests in minutes per game, points per game, and three-point field goal percentage. He produced all year long, removing any doubt he was simply on an extended hot streak.
Moving to the brand new Intuit Dome in the fall, the Clippers are not looking to bow out of contention in the Western Conference anytime soon. Securing one of the top role players from an NBA Finals squad will play a big part in keeping them among the top teams out West.