Perry Jones Joins Crowded Celtics Front Court

Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge added yet another offseason piece on Tuesday, acquiring forward Perry Jones III in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Celtics also picked up a second-round pick in the deal in exchange for a 2019 second-round pick of their own, according to several league sources.

The Celtics looked to draft Jones back in 2012 out of Baylor University, but he ended up falling to the Thunder at the 28th overall selection of the first round. Ainge opted to select Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo ahead of Jones that year. He’ll now join an already talented Celtics front-court rotation.

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Serving mainly as a reserve forward with the Thunder, Jones averaged 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in a limited amount of playing time. Last season his briefly took on an expanded role after Kevin Durant went down with an injury and played decently, but was again relegated to the bench when Oklahoma City’s superstar returned to the lineup.

While at Baylor, Jones played exceptionally well. The 6-foot-11 swing man averaged 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and shot 50 percent from the field in 33 games during the 2011-2012 season.

Jones has one season left on his current contract. He’ll become a restricted free agent next summer when his deal expires. It’s unclear at this time if the Celtics have plans up re-upping with Jones, but with the Celtics stocking up to make a run in 2015 and well into the future, the 23-year-old should be given an ample chance to showcase his game.