The Mavericks have claimed two-way player Jalen Jones, waiving two-way player Kyle Collinsworth in a corresponding move, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Jones transaction earns a place in NBA history as the first time that a player on a two-way contract has been claimed off waivers.
Jones, 24, had been on a two-way contract with the Pelicans before being cut on Monday. Since New Orleans doesn’t have a G League affiliate of its own, the young forward split time between the Greensboro Swarm and Texas Legends this season, giving Dallas’ brass a first-hand look at him. Jones, who also briefly appeared in four NBA games for the Pelicans, averaged 19.1 PPG in 17 G League games, but saw his three-point percentage slip to just 27.5%.
As for Collinsworth, his two-way stint with the Mavericks lasted less than a month after he signed his deal on December 19. The 26-year-old swingman had been playing for the Legends prior to earning that two-way contract, and may very well return to the Mavs’ affiliate if and when he clears waivers. He could also be back in Dallas on a 10-day contract at some point, head coach Rick Carlisle said today (Twitter link via Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com).
Because Jones was claimed off waivers, the Mavs will assume the terms of his two-way deal with the Pelicans, as they would for a standard NBA waiver claim. That means that Jones’ days of NBA service won’t reset, and his contract – a two-year pact – will continue to run through 2018/19, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets.