Terrence Jones to play in China on historic contract

Former Milwaukee Bucks forward Terrence Jones has agreed to a one-year deal to play in China next season.

The deal was first reported by David Pick who says the deal is “one of the largest single-season deals in China history.”

Jones will play for Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles on what ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting is a one-year, $2 million deal. Jones most recently played for the Milwaukee Bucks where he earned minimal minutes after being signed when Milwaukee cut ties with D-Leaguer Axel Toupane.

Jones was a free agent after being waived by the New Orleans Pelicans when the team acquired superstar DeMarcus Cousins in a mid-season trade.

It’s a fall from grace for Jones who once started 71 games for the Houston Rockets as a second-year player.

Qingdao has seen a few former NBA players pass through its halls.

Alan Williams, who was recently re-signed by the Phoenix Suns for three years and $17 million, played briefly for the Chinese team in 2015-16 after being undrafted out of the University of California, Santa Barbara (Go Gauchos).

There is some hope for Jones, though. He’s still only 25 and has shown a knack for scoring with decent rebounding instincts.

For all the good, there is bad. Jones has had issues with defensive effort and awareness and has been lovingly referred to as “Traffic Cone Jones” by at least two franchises.

But if Jones can impress in China, make some shots and work on his defensive effort, there’s a chance we could see him in the NBA again.

If former teammate Michael Beasley can rehab his career in China, so can Jones.

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Although Beasley was reportedly offered an even richer contract to return to China, so who knows?

The NBA is a bizarre, unpredictable league.