Practically no team in the NBA besides the Dallas Mavericks last season fell victim to the injury card as much as they did, as the Mavericks had to get creative in the way they staggered their two-way contract players' minutes toward the end of the season so none of them eclipsed their 50-game limit, as the Mavericks nearly ran out of bodies toward part of the end of last season.
One player who helped maintain the ship during this treacherous stretch was none other than Kai Jones, as the former 2021 first-round pick was uber-efficient as a rim roller and finisher for the Mavericks last season, playing on a two-way deal. Jones is one of the most athletic bigs in the NBA, and he redeemed his career in Dallas last season with his effort on both ends, showing a vastly improved offensive game that even featured a midrange jumper.
There was some fringe hope Dallas could bring back Jones into training camp to give him a shot to compete for a roster spot this fall, even though the Mavericks already have a loaded frontcourt and will have 16 standard contracts signed once the Dante Exum signing is made official. However, those hopes seem completely feeble at this point, as reports surfaced on Monday that Jones would be working out for the Miami Heat.
Kai Jones is working out for the Heat and could very well sign with them
Obviously, Jones working out for the Heat doesn't guarantee he will be signing with them, but based on how Jones finished the season for the Mavericks and considering how well he fits the Heat's hard-working culture, there's a very good chance Miami signs Jones to be a reserve big off the bench. Jones would likely be playing behind All-Star big man Bam Adebayo and fellow rising young big Kel'el Ware if he were to sign with Miami, as he'd be the clear third center in their rotation.
The Heat makes much more sense for Jones from a fit perspective compared to Dallas, even if the Mavericks started Anthony Davis at power forward. Even with Davis playing the four, he's still bound to get some minutes at the five sometimes, and Dallas still has Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II commanding minutes at the center position as well.
While the Heat would offer a clearer path to minutes for Jones compared to the Mavericks, Dallas' offense features a ton of offensive actions for their bigs, and Jones could've thrived for the Mavericks if any of their other bigs got hurt, like fans and analysts saw last season. Losing Jones to Miami isn't a massive blow by any means, but with Jones only being 24 years old, he could've been Dallas' backup big of the future as they head into the Cooper Flagg era.
Davis will likely decline in production as he starts to approach the back-half of his thirties in a few seasons, and Gafford is on a tradable deal if Dallas ever wished to consolidate him for help on other areas of their roster, so it's without a doubt Jones would've been a great emergency valve option as center as well as someone the Mavericks could've continued to develop, especially with Dwight Powell approaching the end of his career as well.
Even if Jones doesn't sign with the Heat, him working out for them signals a Dallas reunion is probably unlikely at this point. This may not seem like something that is a big development currently, but Mavericks fans shouldn't be surprised if Jones breaks out into a high-caliber role player at his next stop, as all signs were pointing toward this happening in Dallas after he showcased an increased level of development last season, and this could be a crushing blow to the Mavericks in the long run.