Terrence Jones to Pelicans: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
After four inconsistent seasons with the Houston Rockets, forward Terrence Jones has reportedly signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Vertical's Shams Charania first reported Jones and the Pelicans were nearing an agreement.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Jones and the Pelicans agreed to a one-year contract worth the NBA minimum, but "the figure may rise."
It appeared the Rockets and Jones were headed for a divorce going back to last October, when Charania reported the 24-year-old decided to bypass a contract extension with the team before the November 2 deadline approached.
Jones was seemingly betting on himself, which was understandable after averaging more than 11 points and nearly seven rebounds per game while shooting over 50 percent in each of the previous two seasons.
However, staying on the court has been a problem for Jones in his NBA career. His career high in games played is 76, which he set in 2013-14, but he has missed a total of 81 games the last two years.
Last season was particularly traumatic for Jones, who was shut down for the year in March with a collapsed lung suffered in a game against the Denver Nuggets. However, he has excellent size at 6'9", 252 pounds and has been a solid shooter with a career field-goal percentage of 51.2.
SB Nation's Tim Ziller ranked Jones as the 58th-best free agent available this summer, citing his high ceiling as one reason to believe there would still be a big market for the injury-plagued power forward:
"Jones is more productive than (Donatas) Motiejunas, but has a lower upside due to the lack of a consistent outside jumper. It's concerning that he's regressed significantly over the past two seasons, though injuries are to blame for 2014-15. He could be a really solid No. 3 big down the line, or he could be a superfluous roster piece. He'll still get paid.
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Teams are always looking for impact scorers with size, but Jones has to prove he can stay on the floor and play with more consistency than he has in the past to realize his full potential.
Jones' overall performance hasn't done enough to warrant a long extension. Yet with more money being available for teams to spend, as well as the potential he has shown over the last four years, he has the chance to be one of the best underrated signings of this offseason.
