​Jul. 15—LAS VEGAS — A charter plane carrying the Sacramento Kings was cruising at 30,000 feet, somewhere between Colorado and California on the night of Nov. 3, when Isaac Jones got a tap on the shoulder.The Kings, who’d lost 130-124 hours earlier against the Denver Nuggets, relayed to Jones they’d be moving on from the former Washington State and Idaho forward in order to clear roster space.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTalk about unexpected mid-flight turbulence.”That was the rough part, I had to sit there and deal with it on the flight,” Jones said. “Definitely texted my wife. I definitely didn’t sleep that night, I was kind of confused but it’s the nature of the business and it happens to everybody.”The Kings thought highly enough of Jones during the pre-draft process to offer the 6-foot-9 forward a two-way contract in 2024. Jones continued to create value for himself, averaging 21.1 points and 6.3 rebounds for Sacramento’s G League affiliate, helping the Stockton Kings capture a 2025 G League championship, and appeared in nearly half of the 82 regular-season games for the NBA team.Sacramento converted Jones’ two-way deal to a standard NBA contract in March of 2025, indicated he could be with the Kings long-term, or at least through the 2025-26 season. But eight months later, Sacramento needed to vacate a roster spot after signing veteran forward Precious Achiuwa, abruptly ending Jones’ tenure with the Western Conference franchise.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”I was shellshocked at first, that was a little tough,” Jones said of getting the news he was being waived. “Tough situation, but I looked at it as a new opportunity. I guess my time was up there, but I knew somebody would take a chance on me and roll the dice.”Jones was getting positive feedback from his agents and figured there’d be at least one NBA suitor that could utilize his skillset, but he was stuck in limbo for 48 hours before something materialized.”The longest two days of my life, because I was waiting on my phone to ring,” Jones recalled.Detroit finally called on day three with a two-way contract offer for Jones. On the surface, the basketball fit seemed great. The cultural one? Possibly even better.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs a city, Detroit prides itself on qualities like perseverance, strength and blue-collar work ethic. A scouting report of Jones’ game might include many of the same terms.The Spanaway, Wash., native was underrecruited and worked full-time at a pipe and supply store near his hometown before earning a spot on Wenatchee Valley College’s roster. Navigating his way through the college ranks, Jones played well enough at the JC level to land a scholarship at Idaho. He parlayed an All-Big Sky season with the Vandals into an opportunity at WSU, where Jones earned All-Pac-12 honors while leading the Cougars to the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 16 years.The forward’s energy, physicality and rebounding were all traits th