Lajae Jones was always going to be a speculative selection for the Golden State Warriors late in the second-round of June's NBA Draft, but the young wing's confirmed move overseas on Monday reveals the front office may already be regretting their decision.
After Graham Ike's two-way contract on Sunday all but confirmed Jones wouldn't be part of the Warriors' plans this season, it's now been revealed that the 54th overall pick has signed with Pallacanestro Trieste in Italy's Lega Basket Serie A.
Warriors may already regret drafting Lajae Jones in the second-round
How much respective weight Jones and the Golden State front office had in the decision isn't clear, but the fact he wasn't even kept around in the G League program with Santa Cruz is a fairly telltale sign that the 22-year-old isn't close to being part of the franchise's future.
Had he remained with the Warriors in the G League, Jones could have tried to put some impressive performances on the board to get himself onto a two-way contract at some point perhaps before the end of this upcoming season.
After all, teams are free to swap two-way contracted players around without incurring any kind of cap hit. It's notable that Golden State's late second-round pick from 2025, Alex Toohey, is back with the team and will try to work his way back onto a two-way deal, yet that's not the path Jones is choosing to take.
It's also a rare and unique move for the team's late second-round picks in recent years. Gui Santos joined Santa Cruz after he was taken 55th overall in 2022, while the next two second-rounders, Ryan Rollins and Trayce Jackson-Davis, were both put instantly on the main roster. Quinten Post started out on a two-way before earning a standard deal midway through his rookie year, while Toohey also began on a two-way only for injury to ruin his season last year.
Lajae Jones may never suit up for Warriors
This recent history doesn't say much for what the franchise makes of Jones' prospects moving forward. It's not as if he's an 18 or 19-year-old who quite obviously needs development, rather he's 22-years-old with multiple years of college basketball behind him.
At the end of the day, it's not the end of the world if Jones doesn't develop enough to bring him back into the program. Hopefully for he and Golden State's sake there's still value to be found in the future, with a potential return to the franchise for summer league next year.
The good and more important news for the Warriors is that it appears like they've hit on their lottery pick after Yaxel Lendeborg won MVP and led the team to the Summer League Championship.
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