Cavaliers' Damian Jones: Fails to score in three minutes
Rotowire
Jones contributed no counting stats over three minutes during Saturday's 116-95 win over the Hawks.
Jones cracked the rotation for the second straight game, albeit for three minutes in what was a blowout victory. Given he has featured only four times in the past 10 games, managers can safely ignore him in all formats.
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Cavaliers' Damian Jones: Plays four minutes in defeat
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Jones ended with two points (1-1 FG) and one rebound in four minutes during Thursday's 123-104 loss to the Pelicans.
Jones hasn't been part of Cleveland's rotation this season, but he saw a few minutes of playing time during Thursday's blowout loss. He's played double-digit minutes in just three of his 12 appearances this year and is unlikely to see his role increase unless the Cavaliers deal with even more absences at some point.
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Cavaliers' Damian Jones: Rare appearance in loss
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Jones supplied two points (1-5 FG), three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 12 minutes during Wednesday's 129-96 loss to the Heat.
Jones played more than 10 minutes for just the second time this season, logging additional playing time as the Cavaliers were blown out by the Heat. While he did manage to accumulate a pair of defensive stats, there is obviously no reason to consider Jones a viable asset, even in deeper formats.
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Cavaliers' Damian Jones: Back to bench
Rotowire
Jones won't start Friday's preseason finale against the Pacers, Serena Winters of Bally Sports Cleveland reports.
Jarrett Allen (ankle) remains out, but Evan Mobley will get the start at center. Jones should still see a sizable bench role with Cleveland's top center sidelined.
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Cavaliers' Damian Jones: Perfect in double-digit outing
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Jones posted 11 points (2-2 FG, 7-7 FT), four rebounds and three blocks over 21 minutes during Monday's 120-89 preseason win over Ra'anana.
Jones got the start against Ra'anana in Monday's preseason contest, going on to shoot a perfect mark from both the field and from the free-throw line while finishing as one of five Cavaliers players in double figures in scoring. Jones, who also recorded a game-leading three blocks, set a new preseason-best scoring total. He is averaging 9.5 points over three preseason games.
Jones will start Monday's exhibition against Israeli club Maccabi Ra'anana, Sam Amico of HoopsWire.com reports.
With Cleveland's usual starters sidelined, Jones will start at center. He'll be joined by Ty Jerome, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert and Dean Wade.
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Cavaliers' Damian Jones: Starting Thursday
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Jones is starting Thursday's preseason game against Orlando, Serena Winters of Bally Sports Cleveland reports.
The Cavaliers will be without Caris LeVert (soreness) and Jarrett Allen (ankle) during Thursday's matchup, so Jones will have an opportunity to take on a starting role. He tallied eight points (4-4 FG, 0-4 FT), six rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes during Tuesday's preseason opener.
The Jazz traded Jones to the Cavaliers on Saturday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
It appears that Utah is simply dumping Jones' salary, but the return package has yet to be released. He averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.6 minutes across 41 games for the Jazz and Lakers in 2022-23. Jones will likely compete with Robin Lopez for the backup center role next season.
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Jazz's Damian Jones: Exercises player option for 2023-24
Rotowire
Jones exercised his $2.58 million player option for the 2023-24 season Tuesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Jones split time with the Lakers and Jazz last year but never carved out a substantial role with either team. He played at least 20 minutes just nine times, posting 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.9 blocks during those contests, and had one double-double across 41 appearances (one start). Walker Kessler and Udoka Azubuike will be Utah's top two centers next year, but Jones figures to be a capable depth option.
Jones chipped in 16 points (5-5 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds and one assist across 32 minutes during Tuesday's 135-133 overtime loss to the Lakers.
Udoka Azubuike drew the start with Walker Kessler (concussion) out, but Jones, who came off the bench, played 11 more minutes than Azubuike and significantly outproduced him. Kessler has already been ruled out for the season, so Azubuike and Jones should continue to see increased opportunities, though it appears Jones has emerged as the frontrunner for elevated playing time with his strong performance Tuesday.
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Jazz's Damian Jones: Plays two minutes in defeat
Rotowire
Jones registered one rebound in two minutes during Wednesday's 127-115 loss to the Trail Blazers.
Jones played double-digit minutes off the bench during his first six appearances in March, but he wasn't able to do much with his increased playing time. His minutes have dropped in recent matchups, and he's fallen out of Utah's rotation over the last two games. As long as the Jazz remain relatively healthy in the frontcourt, it seems unlikely Jones will have much of an impact down the stretch.
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Jazz's Damian Jones: Available Saturday
Rotowire
Jones (recently traded) will suit up for Saturday's game against the Knicks, Sarah Todd of The Deseret News reports.
Jones was acquired by Utah on Wednesday in a three-team trade but missed Friday's game, with the trade yet to have been made official. However, he has been given the green light for Saturday's tilt. It's unclear where Jones will fit into a relatively crowded frontcourt, as he will likely have to battle Udoka Azubuike and Kelly Olynyk for backup center minutes behind Walker Kessler.
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Jazz's Damian Jones: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Jones is out for Friday's game versus the Raptors due to his pending trade, Ben Anderson of KSL News Salt Lake City reports.
Jones was dealt from the Lakers to the Jazz on Wednesday in a three-team deal that included Minnesota. However, he will have to wait until at least Saturday's matchup with the Knicks to make his Jazz debut.
The Jazz acquired Jones from the Lakers on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Timberwolves, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Jones will head to Utah along with Russell Westbrook, Juan Toscano-Anderson and a top-four protected 2027 first-round pick, while the Lakers take back D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Meanwhile, Minnesota receive Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and second-round picks in 2024, 2025 and 2026. In his new locale, Jones will likely be battling Udoka Azubuike for the limited reserve minutes behind starting center Walker Kessler, so Jones' fantasy value will likely remain negligible with the move to Utah.
