Spencer Jones opens up about free agency on LinkedIn

Spencer Jones has given the world a look behind the curtain at the free agent process, detailing his wild summer where he's coming back to the Nuggets

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Jul 30, 2026, 6:30 AM

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Watch: Nuggets future hinges on tax bill—will they make a trade to subvert the tax even if they're winning? | 1 min

Spencer Jones has given the world a look behind the curtain at the free agent process, detailing his wild summer on LinkedIn. Now re-signed with Denver after the Nuggets matched the Oklahoma City Thunder’s two-year, $12 million offer sheet, the 25-year-old forward posted on social media recapping the whole ride.

Jones rose from a two-way contract last year to become a key cog in Denver’s rotation. Jones was undrafted out of Stanford, signing with Denver in 2024 on a two-year deal. By 2026 he was a full-time NBA player, getting playoff starts and making a positive impact in big spots.

OKC threw a rather large offer sheet at him given the context of where Jones was at. The Nuggets eventually matched, taking the team from a projected tax penalty of $36 million to $68 million and pushed the franchise into the second apron.

Jones described 25 days of daily calls with his agent, face-to-face meetings with opposing GMs and “countless rumors.” Teams all-in on Monday went quiet by Wednesday. Teams he’d never spoken to popped up with offers. LeBron James somehow disrupted his timeline — he didn’t elaborate, but gave it the laughing emoji treatment.

Meanwhile, Jones kept hoping wearing Nuggets gear.

“I was in Denver’s facilities through much of the negotiations, training around the same people deciding whether to keep me. Passing GMs in the hallway and making small talk. Acting like everything was normal when nothing was.”

Jones says that expansion teams are coming in two years and a new CBA in three — and that timing your payday around those shifts “can be the difference of millions.” He’s right and it’s this lack of reaction to the changing rules that has pushed Denver into such a tough spot. Smart play, even if expansion coming in two years seems a bit far fetched.

When the action finally came for Jones, he had an international trip booked for months. First day on the ground, his agent calls — a team agreed to terms. Within 24 hours he’s flying back to America for a physical, meeting a new staff, completing hours of tests and scans, signing the offer sheet, then flying right back overseas to wait and see if Denver would match and make the whole thing moot.

“The announcements look clean, but the process is chaos,” he wrote.

Jones closed with: “Glad it’s over. Can’t wait to do it again in two years.”

You can read the full thing below, which was just an interesting look at how players handle these situations.