Terrence Jones, the former 6-9 forward for the Houston Rockets, is headed to New Orleans to play with the Pelicans. Sources say that Jones former University of Kentucky teammate, Anthony Davis, played a role in swaying his decision to sign a one-year deal for the league minimum at just over $1 million. Jones moved quietly into free agency after the Rockets showed no interest in bringing him back most like due to his injury-riddled seasons. The Rockets instead opted to retain forward Donatas Motiejunas by offering him a one-year $3.4 million contract.
Jones was the 18th pick overall in the 2012 draft and averaged 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds a game with the Rockets. Jones, who only played 50 game last season, battled injuries during the majority of his four-season stint with the Rockets and wasn’t able to develop quickly enough to remain on the squad.
Jones and Davis, who were teammates on University of Kentucky’s 2012 national championship team, have talked about reuniting for a while. Davis who is looking forward to teaming up with his college bud told media, ‘’He’s very physical and he can put the ball on the floor, great slasher and can drive to the basket. I think not a lot of bigs can guard him. I think me and him played very well with each other at Kentucky and hopefully we can do it here in New Orleans.”
Jones spoke about teaming up with Davis post a pre-draft working in 2012 saying, ‘’He’s a great player, a special player and a great off the court. He’s really is a fun guy to be around. He’s just special on defense – blocks shots, talks and works hard in practice. He is just a great teammate and is a humble guy.’’
Though Jones primarily played power forward with the Rockets he has some versatility that Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry will likely tap into.
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Pablo Prigioni, who played 24 games with the Rockets in the 2014-15 season, is returning to the Rockets with a two-year deal. The 39 year old point guard, who can run a pick-and-roll, made some noise during the 2014-15 playoff run with the Rockets.