The Oklahoma City Thunder have put the final piece of their standard roster in play, signing Denver Nuggets restricted free agent wing Spencer Jones to a two-year, $12 million offer sheet on Saturday.
That deal gives Denver until Sunday at 11:59 PM ET to decide whether to match and keep Jones. If the Nuggets pass, Oklahoma City will have filled its roster spot left open by defensive ace Lu Dort, who was traded to Atlanta.
The move comes after a summer full of cost-cutting in Oklahoma City. The Thunder sent sharpshooter Isaiah Joe to Detroit and then moved bench scorer Aaron Wiggins and Dort to Atlanta in separate deals. Those moves cleared $240 million in luxury tax and opened up the roster spot Jones is now positioned to fill.
Financially, the Thunder already moved $6.9 million below the second apron after those transactions were completed. Adding Jones on this contract would likely leave them $842,000 under the second apron, since the deal breaks down to $6 million per season. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the contract is fully guaranteed.
Jones is coming off the most productive season of his career. The Stanford product averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.3 stocks per game while shooting 50% from the field, 39% from three and 60% at the line across a career-high 64 games. He also logged a career-best 22.1 minutes per game.
On the court, the appeal is obvious. Jones posted 1.179 points per possession on spot-up chances, which ranked in the 83rd percentile, along with 1.2 points per possession in transition and 1.4 points per possession as a pick-and-roll roller, though that came on just 17 attempts. He also shot 41% as a catch-and-shoot option and 66% at the rim.
For Oklahoma City, the fit is about more than just filling a vacancy. Jones is entering his third NBA season, stands a true 6-foot-7, and gives the Thunder another bigger body who can help replace Dort’s defensive work against larger opponents.
The last word now belongs to Denver. The Nuggets need to match the offer on the floor, but their cap situation may make that difficult. If they can move off Zeke Nnaji’s contract, though, they could create the room to keep Jones and force Oklahoma City back to square one.
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