Portland Trail Blazers: Pass or pursue on 3 recently rumoured targets
Portland Trail Blazers pass or pursue target one – Derrick Jones Jr.
Derrick Jones Jr. was suggested as an option by The Athletic’s beat writer for the Blazers, Jason Quick. Quick is a well renowned local writer who is respected nationally for his outstanding coverage of the Blazers.
Since Quick discussed Jones as an option, we also saw a Miami Heat beat writer divulge that the Heat would not offer any more than a one-year deal to Jones. This almost certainly means that Jones will be looking for a new team next month. The only reason a young player would sign a one-year deal with their original team is if it was a significant balloon payment, or the team was able to promise a handshake deal to bring them back the next summer.
The Heat clearly want to keep their cap space on ice for the Giannis Antetokounmpo free agency sweepstakes, so signing Jones to a long term deal makes no sense.
For Jones, he would probably seek a multi-year deal at around or just below the midlevel. As there isn’t a massive amount of cap space around the league, I can’t see his market being any bigger than that.
For the Blazers, I think Jones could be the perfect backup forward. He is six-foot-six with a six-foot-ten wingspan and is one of the most athletic players in the league. Jones would not only give the Blazers the above the rim presence they are lacking, but enable them to run out a switchable defender who can guard multiple positions.
Jones is an amazing dunker and cutter, but he has also been developing his shooting too. Though it’s just corner threes, he is making and taking them now.
Jones is just 23 as well. His multi-faceted skill-set could service a Blazers team that doesn’t have any young players that are full-time forwards. Jones is one of the best rim protectors and offensive rebounders at his position.
If he accepted the midlevel of around $9 million a year, I would offer him all of it on a four-year deal.