The Denver Nuggets have secured a rotation piece for the playoffs, converting Spencer Jones to a full-time contract on Wednesday.
The move was expected but took longer than anticipated after the forward suffered a concussion on Feb. 4 in New York — the same night he reached the 50-game limit for two-way players.
The Nuggets had until Thursday to add a 14th player to their active roster, as teams cannot leave multiple spots open for more than two consecutive weeks. Jones is now eligible to play the rest of the season and in the playoffs.
Jones, 24, has been arguably Denver’s biggest surprise this season. The undrafted wing out of Stanford has started 34 of 46 games in his sophomore campaign, averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 41.4% from 3-point range. He’s given the team both defensive spunk and important floor-spacing.
Jones signing for the rest-of-season on a minimum-salary deal means he become a restricted free agent in June. It also keeps a 15th roster spot and some money open for the Nuggets to sign an additional player in the coming weeks.
If Jones makes seven more starts, he’ll meet the NBA’s “starter criteria” for restricted free agents, making him eligible for a $5.9 million qualifying offer this summer rather than the standard minimum.
The Nuggets need Jones so getting this done was important. At his position, Aaron Gordon remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Peyton Watson is also out as Denver returns from the All-Star break with his own hamstring issue.
Jones stepped into Gordon’s starting spot and has proved he belongs in the NBA. In 34 starts this season, he’s averaged 7.5 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field.
For the undrafted Jones, the contract is a big deal. For the Nuggets, he’s needed for the stretch run and for the playoffs both as a security blanket and as a tool for David Adelman to utilize.
