The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement with free agent wing Derrick Jones, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania reports that Jones will sign a two-year deal worth $19 million, which suggests Portland will use its mid-level exception to complete the deal.
The second year includes a player option, according to The Athletic’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). Jones is expected to back up Robert Covington, who is headed to Portland in a trade with Houston that is not yet official.
The Heat, who had a number of free agent decisions to make, opted not to offer mid-level money to Jones, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets. Jones was interested in returning to Miami, Jackson adds.
Jones, 23, averaged 8.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 1.1 APG in 23.3 MPG during 59 regular-season games last season. He battled through a bout with COVID-19 before the NBA resumption. Jones appeared in 15 playoff games but had a diminished role.
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