Less than nine months ago, on the night before Halloween, Perry Jones exploded for 32 impressive points against the Clippers in the Staples Center.
His third professional season had just begun. Kevin Durant was out. Jones was receiving his first extended chance. His wavering NBA stock was finally on the uptick.
But three games later, he got hurt. Then three months later, he was buried behind a rotation that still didn’t feature the injured Durant. And three seasons into his career, the PJ3 era has finally come to a disappointing end in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder traded Jones, its 2012 first round pick, to Boston on Tuesday afternoon in a cost-cutting move, sending a second-round pick with Jones and receiving only a heavily protected second-round pick and a $2.