The Detroit Pistons cut ties with their 25-year-old power forward, Isaac Jones, on Tuesday night.
The move came after the three-team trade between Detroit, the Chicago Bulls, and the Minnesota Timberwolves went down. With the Pistons taking back two players in the deal, they needed to create a spot. Jones, who was in the midst of a two-year deal the Pistons inherited, will find himself on waivers again.
Since joining the Pistons back in November, Jones hasn't had much playing time with the primary roster. Detroit has been thriving as the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, and it was difficult for the former undrafted forward to crack the rotation.
He saw the court for one game. Jones spent 12 regular-season games with the Pistons' G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise. Seeing the court for 26.2 minutes per game, Jones averages 16.2 points while shooting 56 percent from the field. He also came down with 7.7 rebounds and dished out 1.9 assists per game.
Prior to landing with the Pistons, Jones had started his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings. After going undrafted in 2024, he inked a two-way contract with the team. Last March, the Kings converted Jones' deal to a standard contract.
Last season, Jones saw the court for 40 games. He spent 7.6 minutes on the court on average. He shot an efficient 65 percent from the field, knocking down 37 percent of his threes. Jones produced 3.4 points per game, along with 1.4 rebounds per game.
This season, Jones played in just three games with the Kings at the start of the year. As Sacramento prioritized the veteran forward Precious Achiuwa, Jones became the odd man out. He was waived, which led the Pistons to pick him up in November.
On Tuesday, the Pistons sent their veteran guard Jaden Ivey to the Chicago Bulls. The move didn't come as a surprise, considering Detroit didn't extend Ivey ahead of his contract year. Plus, after multiple injuries, Ivey had a hard time working his way back to living up to last year's performance. The Pistons prioritized players elsewhere.
In the deal, the Pistons landed the veteran forward Kevin Huerter, along with the forward/center Dario Saric.
Since joining the Bulls, Huerter appeared in 70 games. This season, he's been averaging 10.9 points, while shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc. As for Saric, he landed on the Bulls late last week. The veteran was included in a different three-team trade, which shipped him out from Sacramento.
Newsweek