Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with veteran wing Derrick Jones Jr.
Basic Information
Height: 6’6
Weight: 210 pounds
Position: Small Forward
Age: 29
Years in NBA: 10
Key Regular Season Stats (for Clippers): 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers in 27 minutes per game across 50 games played (45 starts) on 49.9/35.9/76.3 (3.1 3PA, 1.9 FTA) shooting splits (60 True Shooting)
Expectations
After an excellent first season with the Clippers where Derrick Jones started most of the year and was a key piece in revitalizing the Clippers’ previously moribund defense, fans figured DJ would probably play a similar role again in 2026. After all, DJ was in his late 20s, fit well with the Clippers’ core starters, and added athleticism that the Clippers weren’t getting from almost anywhere else on the roster. There were some fans who thought that the arrival of John Collins might push DJ out of the starting unit, but early indicators were that DJ would continue to start to add more defense to the first unit.
Reality
Sure enough, DJ began the season in the starting lineup. As we all know, the Clippers were disappointing from the very start of the season, and everyone on the roster had a piece to play in that. However, DJ was relatively blameless – his defense had maybe slipped a bit from the prior year, but he was still solid enough on that end, and was producing his usual numbers as a scorer and rebounder.
Then, in the 13th game of the season, against the Celtics, DJ went down with what looked like a really bad knee injury. The Clippers, already 4-9, seemed to have suffered a devastating injury blow on top of what was already a season-ending injury to Bradley Beal. The news for DJ landed somewhere in the middle, in that it wasn’t a torn ACL, but it was an MCL injury that kept DJ out for well over a month. By the time he returned in late December, the Clippers were 9-21, and their season already appeared over.
DJ played in four games for the Clippers before getting injured again, somehow once more against the Celtics. The injury proved identical to that DJ had already suffered, and he missed another month before coming back in early February. By the time DJ returned for the second time, the Clippers had turned their season around with that incredible 15-3 stretch, and were back in the postseason hunt.
DJ started most of the rest of the season, and produced stats remarkably similar to his 2025 campaign. He played a few more minutes per game, averaged the exact same number of points, and upped his assists and blocks while shooting similar numbers from the floor. When he was on the floor, DJ was once again a solid rotation-caliber/low-level starting player, contributing plus defense, above-the-rim athleticism, slashing in transition, and ok shooting from deep on low volume. Those injuries, unfortunately, were key parts in the Clippers’ season going sideways, but on the other hand DJ did help keep the Clippers afloat the latter half of the year.
Future with Clippers
DJ is under contract for next season at $10.47M, a number that is quite reasonable considering the value that he provides on both ends of the court. That figure is a double-edged sword for DJ’s future on the team. It is a value contract for a good player that fits the Clippers’ ethos and is a proven performer who is still in his prime, all reasons to keep DJ and then possibly even find a way to keep him with the franchise longer term. DJ is well-liked by fans, teammates, and the overall team and seems like the kind of guy the Clippers would want to stay with the organization.
However, DJ is a playoff-caliber rotation player in his prime on a relatively inexpensive, expiring deal. All of those items make him a very logical trade candidate, especially if the Clippers try to recenter around younger players. DJ is different from the Clippers’ youngsters on the roster (and likely from anyone they’d draft at 5), so it’s not like there’s much roster redundancy, but Kris Dunn is a plus defender as well, is cheaper, and has less trade value. If the Clippers could swap DJ for even a low first-round pick in this draft, or for a protected first round pick in a future draft, the value in my opinion would be too good to pass up. I would guess DJ is still on the team next season, but there’s certainly a chance he’s moved this summer.
