Kai Jones requested a trade from the Charlotte Hornets after a summer full of concerning social media posts which led to allegations of drug use against Jones. NBA veteran Terrence Ross expressed his concern for Jones’ mental health on Instagram, but just for the Hornets’ big man to send another trolling message at him.
Terrence Ross: Is he all there, mentally?
Kai Jones: I’m the greatest of all time, check my highlights.
Terrence Ross: So no.
Kai made references to being the GOAT on social media after he requested a trade as well. For a man who claimed he would drop both LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal in a one-on-one, it’s not surprising that he responded to Ross with another GOAT claim instead of a real response to his recent actions.
Kai throwing away his NBA career to be a troll on social media is not a development anyone saw coming this summer, especially with his strong performances in the Summer League. He’s young enough to still get a chance in the NBA, with him still being on Charlotte’s roster but suspended from the franchise.
Kai Jones Called Out His Teammates On Social Media
Another moment that seemed like a joke at the time from Kai was his random attacks on fellow Hornets’ big men Mark Williams and Nick Richards. While all of them are supposed to compete for big man minutes, Kai took shots at them that many would consider jokes but the Hornets have clearly taken them seriously.
Kai made an IG comment about Williams saying, “Show me a video of Mark pulling up, going left, and hitting it. Anywhere man, even in college. Show me one.”
He followed this up with a shot at Richards as well, “I am more assertive with the ball than him. I can read myself.”
Given all his teammates had unfollowed him on social media, it seems they are okay with Jones’ distracting presence being removed from the locker room. Hopefully, someone intervenes and can make Jones stop sabotaging his own career with insane social media posts.
Is There A Future For Kai Jones In The NBA?
I loved the Jones pick in the 2021 Draft for the Hornets, as he was a highly athletic and mobile big man who could develop into a frontcourt terror. Unfortunately, that development has been a little slower than anticipated.
He averaged just 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds last season, not playing often on a team that had completely bottomed out to go tanking. His physical tools remain alluring, given his age and room for development, but no franchise will want to take a risk on a volatile personality who anyway barely getting minutes in the NBA.
The Hornets already have two big men ready to take bigger steps as rotational members, Mark Williams and Nick Richards. As for the power forward position where Kai often played, the Hornets can rely on PJ Washington, a returning Miles Bridges, and youngster JT Thor to give him more of an opportunity at the position. Unless the team feels Kai’s upside is worth the hassle of keeping him in line, they will move on from him.
A trade seems unlikely, given Kai’s small contract, which means the team may just waive him to move on. They have only suspended him so far, so it’ll be interesting to see how they respond to his trade request.
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