Why the San Antonio Spurs should rescue Derrick Jones Jr.

How the San Antonio Spurs can rescue Derrick Jones Jr.

Derrick Jones Jr. will be in the second year of an $18.9 million contract with the Trail Blazers next season but has a player option to forego that second year to become and unrestricted free agent. Although his second year would pay him more than this year ($9.7 million to $9.2 million), Jones could be at a point where he's ready to earn meaningful minutes again.

With a glaring lack of frontcourt athleticism and only one big man that can protect the rim, the Spurs could certainly use the services of someone like Derrick. With a 7-foot wingspan and quick feet, he has the tools to become a key rotation player in the Alamo City with some work.

Although he hasn't shot well from the outside overall, he at least has demonstrated he can hit from beyond the arc, making 114 of his 388 attempts overall (29.4 percent). He would undoubtedly need to work with Chip Engelland to refine his shot, but acquiring players that are at least willing to take threes should be a priority for the team at this point.

Whether Jones starts in San Antonio would still be up in the air, as there's still a wide-open summer ahead of us in which the Spurs are one of the richest cap space teams in the league. Either way, the size and presence under the rim he brings shouldn't allow him to fall back into repeated DNP's in San Antonio.

The deadline for Derrick's player option is July 28th. He should be one the Spurs have their eyes on for the right price.