The Miami Heat have lost one of their key young rotational players.
Forward Derrick Jones Jr. has agreed to a two-year contract to move west and join the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jones Jr. put up 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds a game in 23.3 minutes per game for a Heat squad that unexpectedly reached the NBA Finals this past season.
Although he barely played during the postseason, his athleticism and defense made him a player that the Heat wanted to keep in the fold moving forward.
Jones Jr. is also an exciting player, as he won the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest over the Orlando Magic’s Aaron Gordon by a hair.
Coming off a disappointing season, the Blazers are starting to look like a dark horse team in the always-competitive Western Conference.
Earlier this week, they acquired 3-and-D forward Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets, and on Friday, Portland also netted center Enes Kanter in a three-team trade.