What a pity! GOAT leaves the league! End his NBA career at the age of 24

On September 12, according to European basketball media BasketNews, former Mavericks insider Kai Jones left the NBA and will join the Turkish team Annadolu Effis. An Italian team previously offered a quotation contract for Kai Jones, but he did not accept it. Kay Jones tried several NBA teams this summer, but unfortunately he couldn't stay in the league.

Kay Jones and Anadolu Effis' contract contains the NBA jump clause and can leave the Turkish League directly after January 2026 if he gets the NBA contract. Why is this time set in January? Because Annadolu Effis' original inside player Vincent Poirier was injured, he is expected to return in January next year.

In mid-August this year, Kay Jones tried out for four consecutive days at the Heat. Kay Jones has been playing in the NBA for four years and cannot sign a two-way contract anymore. The Heat are reluctant to give him the last official contract. Kai Jones was born on January 19, 2001. He is 2.11 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.17 meters. He left the NBA at the age of 24, and he still calls himself GOAT! In the 2024-25 season, Kay Jones played 28 regular season games with the Clippers, averaging 7.4 minutes per game, scoring 2.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 0.5 blocks, shooting percentage of 72.2% and free throw percentage of 75%. In March this year, he was cut by the Clippers and joined the Mavericks. The Mavericks made their debut on March 4, scoring 9 of 10 shots, scoring 21 points, 9 rebounds and 1 block.

Kay Jones played 12 regular season games with the Mavericks, starting in 6 of them. He averaged 21.7 minutes per game, scored 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks, and shots in three events: 83.6%, 33.3%, 70%. He said in an interview: "I always feel that I can do everything, just lacking an opportunity!"

Data statistics, Kai Jones became the first player in NBA history to be in the first four games of a team, shooting at least 30 shots and shooting percentages of more than 90%. Mavericks coach Kidd said: "It's our luck to have Kay Jones. To some extent, he saved our season." So why didn't the Mavericks renew his contract?

Kay Jones's defensive shortcomings are too obvious: he is not strong enough to stand the No. 5 position; he likes to jump very much, and is easy to sway. Kay Jones was the No. 19 pick in the first round of 2021. He played 107 games in his NBA career, including 6 of which started. He averaged 10.1 minutes per game, scored 3.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.5 blocks, and shot from three events: 67.1%, 23.1%, and 68.2%.

Kay Jones' rookie contract was $13.42 million in four years. He played for the Hornets for the first two years of his career. At that time, he was just a low-key substitute. In the 2023 NBA Summer League, Wenban Yama was dunked, and Kai Jones became famous in one game. He was completely crazy, not only always calling himself GOAT, but also threatening to beat Jordan and O'Neal at their peak.

The Hornets asked Kay Jones to shut up and he applied for a deal directly. The Hornets didn't spoil Kay Jones and cut them two days later (October 12, 2023). Kai Jones has no ball to play for a year until he signed a two-way contract with the Clippers on October 20, 2024. Last season, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks in the Development League.