Trail Blazers Rumors: Derrick Jones Jr. Agrees to 2-Year, $19M Contract

Derrick Jones Jr. has agreed to terms on a two-year, $19 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

The 23-year-old's biggest moment of the 2019-20 season came when he defeated Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in February, though the result wasn't without some controversy:

Because of his prodigious dunking ability, some fans might have overlooked the overall value Jones provides on the court. 

His three-point shooting remains an issue after he connected on 28.0 percent of his attempts in 2019-20. However, he still averaged 8.5 points in 23.3 minutes per game and shot 52.7 percent from the field.  

Jones was also a steady presence on the boards and a capable defender. He averaged 3.9 rebounds and one steal and held opponents to 30.1 percent shooting on three-pointers and 31.0 percent on shots from more than 15 feet, per NBA.com.

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson noted Jones largely remained on the periphery, though, as the Heat reached the NBA Finals. Jackson cited a number of factors, and the situation wasn't entirely a reflection of Jones. Head coach Erik Spoelstra leaned a little more heavily on the postseason-tested Andre Iguodala and breakout star Tyler Herro as he shrunk his rotation, something coaches always do in the playoffs.

Between his size (6'6", 210 pounds) and almost superhuman athleticism, Jones can guard multiple positions, a coveted skill at a time when traditional positional designations are falling by the wayside.

The obvious question is how much more the UNLV product can improve.

Jones signed with the Phoenix Suns as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and earned a spot on their final roster for the 2016-17 season. Not surprisingly, Phoenix wasn't a great incubator for his talent, and the team waived him in December 2017.

He quickly signed a two-way contract with the Miami Heat and became another success story from Miami's player development pipeline.

The franchise struggled to build a title contender prior to Jimmy Butler's arrival, but Spoelstra has routinely gotten the most out of his roster. Jones, along with Herro, Duncan Robinson and Kendrick Nunn, have shown how the head coach can help younger players grow as well.

Jones found a comfort zone in South Beach, so leaving could cause his game to stagnate a bit going forward. But he proved himself to be a solid rotation piece for the Heat, and expanding his role would've been difficult with their starting lineup set for the most part.

By signing with the Blazers, Jones might have an opportunity to shine brighter.