The Dallas Mavericks are going into Airplane Mode.
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the Mavericks are signing free agent forward Derrick Jones Jr. The deal for Jones is a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract after he spent the last two seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
The 26-year-old Jones is best known as the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion. Jones beat out fellow dunker Aaron Gordon with a number of show-stopping jams (though there was some serious controversy over the way the competition ended that year).
Jones isn’t just a one-trick pony however. He has a 7-foot wingspan, making him a defensive stalwart, and can even play center in certain hyper-small lineups. Jones should immediately factor into Dallas’ frontcourt rotation alongside Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and this other bigger-name addition.
