Photo credit: Kam Jones
Kam Jones spent less than a week as a member of the Chicago Bulls before the organization waived him on Tuesday. The Bulls had acquired the guard from the Indiana Pacers just the previous Wednesday during the second round of the NBA Draft, making his tenure with the team one of the shortest in recent memory.
Money was the driving factor behind the move
The Bulls made the decision for a straightforward financial reason. Jones had a deadline on Tuesday that would have made his $2.15 million salary fully guaranteed for the upcoming season. Chicago chose to cut him before that deadline passed rather than commit to the contract.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, league sources confirmed the Bulls planned to waive Jones ahead of the guarantee date. The announcement came directly from the team rather than through the kind of dramatic breaking news that typically accompanies high-profile roster moves. It was a quiet but deliberate choice on the first day of free agency.
The Bulls were likely always going to do this
The broader context of how Jones ended up in Chicago suggests the waiving was probably the plan from the start. The Bulls took him off the Pacers’ hands as part of a draft-pick trade. That arrangement effectively allowed Indiana to avoid being the team that placed Jones on waivers themselves.
Whether Chicago ever seriously considered keeping Jones is unclear, but the speed and timing of the waiving suggests they did not deliberate for long. The move saved the organization money while fulfilling the mechanics of the draft night trade.
What comes next for Jones
Jones was originally selected 38th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Draft. Despite the disappointing outcome in Chicago, the former second-round pick has drawn enough interest previously to suggest another opportunity could emerge. He has talent, but it will not be with the Bulls that he gets his next chance at an NBA roster spot.
Source: The Sporting News, HoopsHype, via Yahoo Sports
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