Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
2025 Free Agents - Colby Jones
After a successful 3-year career at Xavier, Jones entered the 2023 draft and was picked 34th overall by the Kings. Jones is just a well-rounded player, who is good at a lot of things. As a 6'6" wing, having all those skills makes him a potentially valuable player. He didn't get much NBA time as a rookie, but played well in the G-League. Jones is a good passer, as he can read the floor well and create shots for others. He averaged 4.5 assists per game his final year of college and in the G-League as a rookie. He's not just an off-ball player, as he can run pick-and-roll and initiate some offense. He won't break down defenders in isolation, but has enough shake off the dribble to make things happen. Jones was an effective scorer in the G-League, averaging just under 20 points per game on good efficiency. He can score at all levels, showing some craft when finishing at the rim. He has a floater he can go to. He hit over 37% from 3 in the G-League as a rookie. He needs to improve to become a real shooting threat at the NBA level, but there's a reasonable path to get there. Defensively, Jones has the potential to be really good on that end. He has the size to guard multiple positions. Jones isn't super quick or athletic, but moves his feet well and puts in good effort on that end. He generally is active on defense and in the right position when it comes to making rotations. Jones has good hands, getting a high number of steals. He also rebounds really well for his position. Jones will be 23 years old as a potential free agent in 2025. I think he's an intriguing enough prospect that the Kings would keep him around another year even if he doesn't get much playing time in '24-'25, but it will be interesting to see if he can break into the regular rotation at all.
Summary
Jones' $2.2 million salary for 2025-2026 is non-guaranteed, and if he is waived he will become an unrestricted free agent and the Kings will have no form of Bird rights on him. If he is waived, teams could claim him off waivers, but would need to fit his salary within cap space or an exception to do so, as his contract doesn't fit within the minimum salary exception as it was a four-year contract. If Jones becomes a free agent, other teams will have multiple ways to sign him as even teams without cap space could use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Room MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. If Jones is waived and clears waivers, his value will likely have dropped low enough that he would only have offers for the minimum.
Cap Considerations
Caleb Houstan (3rd year non-guaranteed minimum not waived, 2024) Craig Porter, Jr. (2nd year non-guaranteed minimum not waived, 2024) Killian Hayes (1 year minimum, non-guaranteed, 2024)