Thunder cut ties with former 1st-round pick in cruelest trade

It's been a whirlwind calendar year for Dillon Jones.

The talented wing was drafted by the Washington Wizards 26th overall in 2024. Except, on draft night he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

So although he played sparingly, Jones was on an NBA champion in his rookie season.

But on Saturday night, the Thunder traded Jones away... to the Wizards, one of the worst teams in the NBA.

OKC made the deal, reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, because they had too many players. After not getting takers for picks on draft night, the Thunder had no choice but to get the Wizards to take Jones and a second-round pick in return for a player OKC will immediately release.

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It's the kind of ugly move that happens at the bottom of NBA rosters to make the pieces fit together.

Jones was a college star at Weber State.

As a rookie, he averaged 2.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in very limited action.

A rebuilding Washington team might actually find a use for Jones, but it won't quite be as glamorous as a ring.

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