On Monday, a report surfaced indicating that the Miami Heat are taking a look at free agent Kai Jones, a big man who went in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft.
Free agent F/C Kai Jones is working out for the Miami Heat today, league sources tell me. The 2021 first-rounder remains a young, athletic prospect. pic.twitter.com/SrLM8s4KpT
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Jones has the tools to be an interesting project for a team that’s willing to take a chance on him, and the Heat have certainly found diamonds in the rough before, but team insider Greg Sylvander dropped a reality check on the situation.
“They aren’t going further into the tax for Kai Jones,” wrote Sylvander. “Yawn.”
Fellow insider Ethan J. Skolnick added that “only if they think they have another easy way to get out of it” would the Heat do so, referencing the luxury tax.
Jones has yet to stick in one place for too long during his NBA career. After being drafted in 2021, he spent two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before being waived. He didn’t see any NBA action in the 2023-24 campaign despite signing short-term deals with teams. He did see action in the 2024-25 season across stints with the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks.
His production at the NBA level has been limited, but he did show some exciting flashes with the Mavs last season. Across 12 games and six starts, he averaged 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting an incredible 83.6 percent from the field.
Jones, who went 19th overall in his draft, earned Sixth Man of the Year honors in the Big 12 as a sophomore after averaging 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s now looking to tap back into some of the potential that made him a first-round pick.
Unfortunately, it seems like there may be reasons to pump the brakes on the idea of the Heat signing him, but the fact that he and the team agreed to a workout would seem to indicate some level of interest. From undrafted players to former draft picks looking for career revivals, Miami has a track record of getting the most out of players, making Jones an intriguing option.
One way or another, the Heat are looking to bounce back this coming season after they had a frustrating 2024-25 campaign that ended with a playoff embarrassment.
