Kam Jones has shown some glimpses of potential during his rookie year with the Indiana Pacers, but if they are looking to shed some salary in the offseason, his time with the team may come to an end before it ever really started.
Recently, Spotrac's Keith Smith wrote about the possibility of Indiana making a move in the offseason to shed some salary in the event it secures a top-four pick in this year's draft to avoid paying the luxury tax once again.
"If Indiana comes away with a top-four pick in the draft, they could look to shed some money. The Pacers have historically shied away from paying the luxury tax. With a top-four pick in the mix, the team projects to be over the first apron," Smith wrote.
"While title contenders are often in the luxury tax, and recently over the first apron, this would be a big jump for Indiana. To go from being under the tax line for two decades to over the first apron isn’t somewhere we should expect the Pacers to be."
The Pacers have a few ways to potentially make this happen (letting Kobe Brown walk in free agency, not picking up Micah Potter's team option, which would be a mistake, negotiating a rookie-scale contract extension for Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, for starters), but the easiest and perhaps best way to shed salary is to move on from Jones after his first season in the league.
The Pacers may need to move on from Kam Jones this offseason
Jones has been decent in his rookie season, but nothing too spectacular. The Marquette alum is averaging 4.3 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 16.1 minutes over 33 games. His numbers aren't all that great, but he's had solid moments (game-winning field goal against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 11 and a 10-point, 10-assist double-double against the Memphis Grizzlies on Mar. 1). Additionally, he plays with a lot of confidence, plays hard, and is a solid defender.
He is also shooting 41.3% from the field and 29.2% from deep in the NBA. And he doesn't really stand out in any way. It's hard to imagine him getting any sort of consistent playing time next season with Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, and Quenton Jackson all ahead of him in the depth chart (not to mention the possibility of them drafting Darryn Peterson).
The 24-year-old is on a standard contract, and it's fair to assume that Indiana is better off just moving on from him now and giving that spot to somebody else. He has shown at times that he can play, but his salary is only going to get more expensive from here on out, and he hasn't shown enough to justify Indiana keeping him around for the long haul and potentially paying the luxury tax for the first time in two decades.