The Lakers spent the summer looking for an athletic wing, missed on Jonathan Kuminga, and settled on Derrick Jones Jr. as the fallback. The problem, confirmed this week, is that Jones has not asked out of the crosstown rival that holds his rights — and there’s little reason for the Lakers to keep pushing a door the player himself won’t open.

The reporting is straightforward. Derrick Jones Jr. has not requested a trade from the Clippers, and both he and the team have a great relationship and are open to extension talks to keep the forward in Los Angeles, per the Clippers’ Tomer Azarly. That’s the “insider’s confirmation” that cooled the Lakers’ pursuit.

The Case For

The fit is real, and it’s the reason this rumor never fully dies. The 29-year-old averaged 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over 50 games last season, and his athleticism and defensive versatility have made him a useful rotation forward with significant postseason experience. That’s a two-way wing who doesn’t need the ball — exactly the archetype a Dončić-and-Reaves team craves.

There’s history, too. Jones played alongside Dončić on Dallas’s 2024 Finals run, so the on-court chemistry isn’t hypothetical.

And the price is manageable. He is set to make $10.48 million in 2026-27 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2027, and the salary fits the Lakers’ mid-level exception. On paper, a short-term, mid-priced two-way wing is precisely the “bow on top” the roster is missing.

The Case Against

Start with the obvious: the player doesn’t want to leave. Jones has not requested a trade, and both sides are open to extension talks to keep him in Los Angeles — with the Clippers, not the Lakers. While Jones initially expressed interest in a $13 million annual extension with the Clippers, their latest crisis could push him to pursue a more stable situation on a contender. But that’s a maybe, not a lever the Lakers control.

Then there’s the counterparty. Several insiders, including Brett Siegel, had pointed out Jones could be on his way out as he enters the final season of the three-year, $30 million deal he signed with the Clippers in 2024. The catch is who’d have to say yes: a rival with every incentive to make the Lakers overpay, at a moment the Lakers have little draft capital to spare after the Kessler deal.

The need is also less acute than it was in July. The Lakers added Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams this summer, giving them perimeter defense and floor spacing on the wing. Jones would be an upgrade in athleticism, not a solution to a gaping hole — and paying a rival’s ransom for a marginal upgrade is bad process.

Finally, the Clippers may simply refuse. Reporting has floated that they’d resist dealing Jones to the Lakers at all, which turns any pursuit into a bidding war the Lakers would have to win against their own crosstown rival’s spite.

The Verdict

The Lakers were right to kick the tires, and they’d be right to stop there. The fit is genuine, but the acquisition cost points the wrong way: a player who wants to stay put, a rival who’d demand a premium, and a wing rotation that’s already been patched with Grimes, Thybulle and Williams.

If Jones changes his mind and forces his way out, the Lakers should absolutely be first in line at the mid-level number — that’s a clean, low-risk add. But engineering a trade for a player who hasn’t asked to leave, from the one team that most wants to fleece them, is chasing a want rather than filling a need. Wait for the situation to come to them, or spend the flexibility elsewhere.

Source: Yahoo Sports