Mavericks have quietly parted ways with one of their elite dunkers

Despite his strong end of the season for the Dallas Mavericks, in which he averaged 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks over 12 games, Kai Jones remains unsigned in free agency this summer. Unless the unexpected somehow happens, the Mavericks and Jones will likely be heading separate ways next season, which is a major shock considering how well he played for Dallas on a two-way deal in a less-than-ideal circumstance.

Toward the end of last season, the Mavericks cut Kylor Kelly to make room for Jones as one of the team's three two-way players, and he did not disappoint. Jones was an excellent lob catcher, rim runner, and energy guy for Dallas from the moment they signed him until the end of the regular season, and he would be a solid addition to any team that needs a backup center right now.

With the Mavs already having Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Dwight Powell as players who can play center effectively, bringing back Jones was always going to be a challenge. Regardless of the hardships within Dallas' roster construction that made Jones' return doubtful, some fans pushed for the team to trade Powell to make room for him.

Kai Jones returning to Dallas is a long shot

Powell has quietly regressed significantly over the last year or so, and on the other hand, Jones is on the rise.

The 2024-25 season with the LA Clippers and Mavs was the best year of Jones' career, and his 12 games in Dallas made him seem like he was going to be a young piece for them to develop for years to come.

Their frontcourt is crowded, but with Lively II and Davis’ uncertain injury histories, Jones would’ve been a great player to keep around to be an end-of-bench role player who only plays in emergency situations. He would’ve been the perfect Powell replacement if they considered dumping him this offseason, but as things stand now, Powell will likely remain in Dallas, and Jones could end up signing elsewhere.

He recently had a workout with the Miami Heat, and there has to be a roster spot available for him somewhere. Jones’ time with the Mavericks last season laid the framework for his development to continue into the 2025-26 season, and Mavs fans are going to quietly miss everything about his game.

One thing that fans will miss most is his dunking, as he is always looking to finish above the rim with a thunderous slam when he can, and he showed this in Dallas. Jones’s springy hops help him finish dunks from nearly anywhere around the basket, as he was always a threat to throw down a dunk over a defender when he caught the ball in the paint.

Jones’ Mavericks teammates were always looking to set him up for lob dunks in transition or even in the half-court, and his emphasis on always running the floor as hard as he could created numerous easy dunks for him.

Even if Jones wasn’t in the position to catch a lob from his teammate, he did a good job of catching the ball in the dunker spot and being patient until he had a good look at the rim. He was one of the team’s few bright spots down the final stretch of the cursed 2024-25 season, and he will be missed if he does indeed sign elsewhere this summer.

All signs are pointing to just that, and true Mavericks fans will always wonder what Jones could’ve been for Dallas if they had given him another contract beyond the 12 games he played at the end of last season.