For UNLV alumni watching the NBA offseason, all eyes are on Las Vegas's own Derrick Jones Jr. — and the growing drumbeat of reports linking the Clippers wing to a trade with the crosstown Lakers.
Multiple reports out of Heavy Sports indicate the Lakers have been zeroing in on Jones Jr. as a priority acquisition, with the Clippers increasingly open to moving him amid the ongoing Kawhi Leonard drama reshaping Los Angeles's roster calculus. One report describes Jones as a "dream" trade target for the Lakers — and suggests the Clippers' front office situation has cracked a door that was previously closed.
Why Jones Jr. Makes Sense
The appeal isn't hard to decode. Jones Jr. is a switchable, high-motor wing who provides the kind of 3-and-D versatility that contending rosters covet. He was a key contributor on the 2024 Dallas Mavericks — the same team that featured Luka Doncic, now a Laker — which adds an extra wrinkle to the trade narrative. One proposed framework specifically highlights the Doncic-Jones Jr. reunion angle as a selling point for the Lakers front office.
A separate trade concept circulating in the same reporting cycle would pair a Jones Jr. acquisition with a reunion alongside veteran center Brook Lopez, suggesting Lakers brass is exploring multiple configurations to build around their core. The common thread in every scenario: Jones Jr. is the piece they want.
The Clippers' Leverage Problem
What's shifted the calculus is the Clippers' own turbulence. With the Leonard situation casting uncertainty over the franchise's direction, holding firm on role players becomes harder to justify. The Lakers appear to be watching that instability closely and timing their push accordingly.
For Jones Jr., the trade buzz puts the UNLV product — who has carved out a lengthy NBA career on the strength of elite athleticism and defensive versatility — in the middle of one of the offseason's most high-profile storylines. A move to the Lakers would put him in one of the league's most scrutinized markets, playing alongside one of the game's biggest stars.
The Rest of the UNLV Board
Elsewhere in the league, UNLV's NBA footprint remains quietly broad. Christian Wood is on the Lakers roster as a power forward — meaning any Jones Jr. trade would land him alongside a fellow Rebel. Keshon Gilbert is with the Hawks at point guard, Elijah Harkless is on the Pistons at shooting guard, and Khem Birch and Donovan Williams remain with the Spurs and Warriors, respectively, though neither has surfaced in recent news cycles.
For now, the Jones Jr. saga is the story. If the deal closes, UNLV will have two alumni in purple and gold — and one of them will have arrived as one of the offseason's most coveted trade chips.
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