The Cleveland Cavaliers are bringing back James Jones for another season, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Cleveland's James Jones has reached agreement on a one-year, $1.55M deal to return to the Cavaliers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2016
Jones joined the team two summers ago, along with LeBron James, and helped lead them to two straight Finals. Jones was also a mainstay on LeBron’s Miami Heat teams.
Now having reached six straight Finals with LeBron, Jones has become a friend and confidant for the Cavs’ star. Despite playing few minutes in a small role, Jones’ leadership as an end-of-the-bench player cannot be understated.
Last season, the small forward scored 3.7 points per game in only 9.6 minutes of playing time. He only played 4.6 minutes per game through 12 appearances in the postseason, scoring a total of six points.
Nevertheless, the Cavs and LeBron felt strongly enough about James Jones’ intagibles to bring him back. At under $2 million per year, it could not have been much of a question for David Griffin and the rest of the front office.
Jones gets to return for at least one more crack at a Finals appearance and potentially another championship. If the pattern holds, he’ll be playing deep into June once again.
