Derrick Jones Jr. has 3-year, $30 million deal with Clippers, source says

Hours after Paul George informed them he was joining a new team, the LA Clippers agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with Derrick Jones Jr., a league source confirmed to ESPN.

With George gone, the Clippers needed an athletic wing who could defend, and they found it in Jones, who is coming off his best season as a pro with the Dallas Mavericks.

Jones started 66 games and averaged 8.6 points and 34.3 percent shooting from behind the 3-point arc last season, as he was a key starter in helping the Mavericks reach the NBA Finals. Jones and the Mavericks eliminated the Clippers in six games in the first round of the playoffs.

The Clippers said earlier Sunday that George informed them he planned to sign with another team in free agency. The Philadelphia 76ers are considered strong favorites, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Clippers, who have taken a cautious and measured approach to building their roster under the collective bargaining agreement’s new restrictions on tax-paying teams, would not give George a four-year, $221 million maximum extension during the offseason.

Jones, 27, stands 6-foot-2 and will try to help the Clippers replace George, likely by committee. Jones is an athletic wing who can defend multiple positions. He ranked second in total half-court defensive faceoffs against 2024 All-Stars last season, including the regular season and playoffs, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Jones could also be a threat to James Harden. The Clippers and Harden agreed to a two-year, $70 million deal earlier Sunday, league sources told ESPN.

Jones’ deal with the Clippers was first reported by The Athletic.