Dallas Mavericks Star Ignites Lakers Speculation With Big Announcement

NBA teams can begin negotiating with all free agents on Sunday, meaning some big agreements are coming soon. This free agency class has some very talented players, and while much of the focus will be on big names like Paul George and Klay Thompson, there are several impactful free agents this summer with less name recognition.

One of these marquee free agents is Dallas Mavericks star Derrick Jones Jr. who just helped lead his team to an NBA Finals appearance. Ahead of Sunday's free agency, Jones announced an agency change to Klutch Sports, as he will enter this pivotal transaction period with new representation.

The news was shared by NBA insider Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, and he received several replies from fans who believe this agency change from Jones means he will be joining the Los Angeles Lakers. This is not uncommon whenever an NBA star signs with Klutch, as the agency's CEO Rich Paul is the close friend and agent of Lakers star LeBron James.

While Klutch has several clients not with the Lakers, that did not stop Jones' announcement from igniting Lakers speculation:

Jones will be highly sought after in free agency. Appearing in 76 games for the Mavericks last season, Jones averaged just 8.6 PPG, but it was his athleticism and defensive versatility that made him so valuable as a starter next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Elevating his play in the postseason, Jones started all 22 games for Dallas, averaging 9.1 PPG on 36.9% from three.

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