15 Potential Lakers free agent targets with ties to LeBron James
By Tyler Watts
13. Damian Jones
Jones may be running out of NBA opportunities. The 30th overall draft pick in 2016 has struggled to find a consistent role and played for seven different teams in eight years. He is currently on the Cavaliers and the 28-year-old should be in the middle of his prime. Does some franchise give him a shot in free agency this summer?
He was twice teammates with LeBron James. He got two ten-day contracts with the Lakers in 2021. Jones appeared in eight games where the 6’11 big man averaged 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 14.0 minutes per game. It helped him catch on with the Kings, but the Lakers re-signed him in the 2022 offseason.
His second stint lasted just 22 games as he was part of the Russell Westbrook trade in February. The Lakers remade their roster and the changes propelled them to the conference finals in 2023. Jones was traded again in the offseason with the Jazz taking cash in return.
Damian Jones will be searching for a minimum contract this offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers need a big man and just signed him two years ago. A reunion is unlikely, but might happen if LeBron James asks for Jones to return.