It took just one game for Kai Jones to find himself on the Dallas Mavericks’ growing injury list, Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News reports.
The big man, who signed a two-way contract with the team on Monday, was ruled out of Wednesday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks about an hour before tipoff due to a quad strain.
Jones made an immediate impact in his Mavericks debut, delivering an impressive performance off the bench with 21 points and eight rebounds in 34 minutes.
His presence was a welcome boost to a depleted frontcourt, with Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively all sidelined due to injuries.
The trio is scheduled for reevaluation on Thursday, but there is no clear timeline for their return, leaving Dallas thin on big men.
Beyond the injury setback, Jones’ availability was already limited due to the restrictions of his two-way contract.
With a 50-game limit that is pro-rated based on when he signed, he is eligible to be active for just 11 more games for the remainder of the season – unless the Mavericks convert his deal to a standard contract.
However, due to their hard cap constraints, Dallas cannot make that move until April 10, further complicating the situation.
Kai Jones joins the lengthy list of injured Mavericks players: https://t.co/KPH7PfexJZ
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) March 6, 2025
