Heat Bring In Kai Jones; Thunder Confront Apron Era; Daniel Theis Details Move Abroad
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MIAMI — Free-agent center Kai Jones participated in a workout with the Miami Heat on Monday, league source Chris Haynes reported.
The 24-year-old, drafted 19th overall in 2021, divided last season between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. Across 40 games he averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds, but his production jumped to 11.4 points and 6.6 boards in 12 appearances for Dallas after being waived by the Clippers on March 1. He started six of those contests.
Although weekend reports indicated Jones was nearing an agreement with Italy’s Virtus Bologna, Monday’s session suggests he still hopes to land on an NBA roster for the 2025-26 campaign. Miami currently has several spots available on its 21-player training-camp roster and has recently invited veteran free agents such as R.J. Hampton and Nassir Little to compete for jobs. Because Jones is no longer two-way eligible, any deal with the Heat would have to be for a standard 15-man slot.
Thunder Face New Roster Math
In a piece for ESPN, Tim Bontemps outlined how the NBA’s revised tax-apron rules make it harder for contenders like the Oklahoma City Thunder to retain deep rotations. “You have to be right on every decision,” one Western Conference scout told Bontemps. “Now you have to look at things in not a one-year window, but a three-year window. You literally can’t mess anything up.”
Theis Explains European Return
Daniel Theis said he declined an offer from the New York Knicks before signing with AS Monaco in February. According to the veteran big man, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau informed him he would serve as insurance behind Mitchell Robinson, who was working back from injury. Theis opted for Monaco, believing a strong finish overseas could improve his summer market.
“I didn’t just look at the money, but the school, the life, everything,” Theis told Euro Insiders, adding that years of trades and relocations in the NBA left him feeling “like Panini stickers—you take two, I take one.”
Source: Hoops Wire
