Sources: 76ers to sign C Jones to 10-day deal

The Philadelphia 76ers are planning to sign former Charlotte Hornets first-round pick Kai Jones to a 10-day contract Friday, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Jones, 23, was the 19th pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Hornets, who traded a future first-rounder to the New York Knicks to get the pick used to take the 6-foot-11 center out of Texas.

But after playing only 67 games and a total of 613 minutes across his first two seasons in the NBA, Jones was released by the Hornets in October. He was away from the team during training camp for personal reasons, and his release came after a series of bizarre social media posts culminating in him posting that he had requested a trade.

Jones has averaged 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in his NBA career.

Philadelphia, which plays in Milwaukee on Thursday night, has fallen into the play-in mix in the Eastern Conference standings as the 76ers continue to wait for the potential return of reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid from a knee injury. Entering Thursday, the 76ers are 26-8 when Embiid plays this season and 10-21 when he doesn’t.