DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks officially signed Kai Jones to a two-way contract on Monday. It was recently reported that Jones intended to sign with the Mavs, and the deal came to fruition before Dallas’ game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Jones spoke to reporters before the game and provided a bold prediction when asked if the Mavs would have a play for him to catch lobs from Kyrie Irving.
“High, more than likely,” Jones said of the chances of a play coming to fruition that will involve him catching lobs from Irving.
Mavs head coach Jason Kidd believes Jones’ athleticism will help the team. Additionally, he noted that Jones has some NBA experience.
“You look at athleticism, he’s played in some NBA games, so he has experience,” Kidd told reporters before the game.
Kidd is also hopeful that Jones and Irving will develop chemistry with one another on the floor, which could lead to lob opportunities.
“We can only hope,” Kidd said of the Mavs implementing a Jones-Irving lob play. “But that would be something that we haven’t had here of late (because of injuries)… With Moses (Brown), 10 days went by fast. Hopefully with these 12 games we can get that relationship built where we can play with the vertical game, which, right now, we just haven’t had.”
Kai Jones set to make Mavericks debut vs. Kings
Jones is available and could play on Monday in the Kings-Mavs game.
Jones made his NBA debut in Charlotte with the Hornets. He previously played with PJ Washington in Charlotte. Perhaps having Washington as a teammate once again in Dallas will make him feel more comfortable with his new team.
Jones spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons with the Hornets. He most recently played in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he averaged 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per outing across 28 games played in 2024-25. The Clippers recently waived Jones, a move that allowed him to sign a two-way contract in Dallas.
The Mavericks are hoping that Jones can make an impact amid the team’s center injury concerns. Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II all remain out with injuries, so Jones could receive a respectable amount of minutes until they return.
All three players are expected to be re-evaluated on Thursday. Their injury timelines could be revealed Thursday or shortly after. For now, Kai Jones will attempt to play an impactful role with the Mavericks.
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