Spencer Jones Has Four Big Takeaways From NBA Free Agency

This offseason restricted free agent forward Spencer Jones signed a two-year, $12 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, to which the Denver Nuggets matched the offer sheet and kept him on the roster. 

Jones, 25, is coming off a season in which he averaged 5.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. He appeared in 64 games for Denver and started in 37 of them. Jones saw a big increase in playing time in 2025-2026 compared to his rookie season in which he only saw 6.3 minutes per game. 

Spencer Jones was an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2024 and he signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets after playing for them in the Summer League. In February 2026, Jones' contract was converted to a standard NBA deal. 

Jones shared his thoughts on LinkedIn about the process of signing his contract this summer, and he described it as more of a chaotic process than many would think.  

Spencer Jones went on to say four things stood out to him during the free agency process this summer. The first one being to not get too high or low during negotiations. He mentioned everything can change in an instant and that other players' decisions can mess up your timeline. 

Jones' second point he made was that the years offered on a contract matter just as much as the money being offered. Factors like career and team trajectory matter than most think and a new CBA agreement in two years is also something that's worth thinking about.  

His third point was that training and staying in shape cannot stop throughout the process. Jones mentioned he was consistently in the Nuggets facility training and talking to the front office as if everything was running smoothly, even though there was chaos and uncertainty surrounding his decision. 

Spencer Jones' last point he made had to do with his personal offseason plans, and how those played a factor into the entire process. Jones suggested to not plan an offseason vacation until you're officially signed with a team. 

He had a vacation planned months in advance this summer, and within 24 hours of landing, he had to come back to the states because a team had agreed to his terms. He flew back to sign the deal and undergo a physical. 

Jones went on the mention that the announcements of the deal seem simple, the process is chaotic and there is more that goes into it than many fans realize. His contract will be up again in two years and next time he'll be more prepared and know what to expect.