By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-03-30 14:25:03
2025年11月10日，星期一，在芝加哥举行的一场NBA常规赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) (5) 面对芝加哥公牛队后卫特雷·琼斯（左中）持球突破。(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
当电话响起时，特雷·琼斯 (Tre Jones) 正身处孟菲斯的一家酒店房间里。
在对方开口之前，来电显示上的名字就已经告诉了琼斯发生了什么。
如果格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 在NBA交易截止日前三天，放下中风康复训练专门给球队的替补控卫打电话，那只能意味着一件事。
“在那一刻，我大概就知道发生了什么，”琼斯在回忆起2025年2月作为马刺成员的最后一个夜晚时说道。
波波维奇传达的消息很快便出现在NBA官方渠道上。
琼斯将与替补内线扎克·科林斯 (Zach Collins) 一起被交易至芝加哥，这是马刺、公牛和国王三方大交易的一部分，马刺借此从萨克拉门托引进了全明星后卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)。
马刺正在推进围绕超级巨星维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 构建争冠阵容的宏图。
琼斯是2020年的二轮秀，在身高7英尺4英寸的法国人到来之前的几年里，他经历了圣安东尼奥的低谷期——而未来的蓝图里，将不再有他的位置。
“这确实很难，”琼斯说道，“我在这里待了四年半。这是我作为职业球员所了解的一切。但你必须迅速翻开新的一页。”
随着芝加哥公牛在周一造访弗罗斯特银行中心球馆（Frost Bank Center），琼斯将首次身披公牛球衣回到老东家的主场。
科林斯目前仍在公牛的大名单中，但因右脚大脚趾手术已赛季报销。对于琼斯和马刺来说，这次重逢至少可以用“苦乐参半”来形容。
马刺教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 谈及今晚代表芝加哥公牛重返圣安东尼奥的特雷·琼斯：“在每天保持正确的态度和活力方面，他始终走在最前列。……他是个好胜心极强的小家伙。” pic.twitter.com/GInen6vIhC
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) March 30, 2026
在周一比赛前，马刺取得了56胜18负的战绩，他们重返NBA精英行列的速度几乎超出了所有人的预料。自2019年以来，他们将首次重返季后赛，并已锁定了西部前二的席位。
福克斯一直是马刺崛起的领军人物，他场均贡献18.8分和6.3次助攻，并职业生涯第二次入选全明星。
“他们打得非常好，”琼斯说，“我一直很乐意看到那些家伙取得成功。显然，这已经筹备了好几年。看到这一切真的很酷。”
曾陪伴球队度过艰难岁月，琼斯遗憾自己错过了圣安东尼奥如今正迎来的辉煌时刻。
然而在芝加哥，26岁的琼斯找到了稳定的出场时间，这在马刺可能永远无法实现。
公牛在上赛季末看到了琼斯的表现，并在夏天与他续签了一份为期三年、价值2400万美元的合同。
这位身高6英尺1英寸的后卫在本赛季参加的57场比赛中首发了33场，场均得分（13.2分）、助攻（5.5次）和抢断（1.2次）均创下职业生涯新高。
“我认为这是我职业生涯所需要的，”琼斯谈到前往芝加哥的变动时说，“这迫使我走出舒适区。我能够很快找到节奏。”
相比技术统计表上的数据，琼斯给公牛主帅比利·多诺万 (Billy Donovan) 留下更深印象的是他为这支年轻重建球队带来的稳定老将气质。
“他每天都非常稳定，”多诺万说，“你很清楚能从他身上得到什么。他每天的状态都一样。这一点非常难得。”
琼斯的稳定性部分源于他天生低调、沉稳的性格，这种特质似乎从出生起就伴随着他。
另一部分则是在马刺效力期间磨炼出来的，在那四个完整的赛季里，球队的胜场数从未超过33场。
马刺后卫德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 与琼斯同为2020届新秀，他回忆起两人早期在球队的日子，当时队中还有德马尔·德罗赞 (DeMar DeRozan)、拉马库斯·阿尔德里奇 (LaMarcus Aldridge) 和鲁迪·盖伊 (Rudy Gay) 等老将。
2026年3月25日，星期三，在费城举行的一场NBA常规赛下半场，芝加哥公牛队的特雷·琼斯在比赛中。(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“我和特雷那时候就在讨论怎么争取上场时间，”瓦塞尔说，“还有确保波波不会盯着我们屁股后面骂。”
凭借着坚韧和乐观度过了那些输球的岁月，琼斯渴望看到圣安东尼奥隧道尽头的曙光。
然而，2025年2月3日在孟菲斯接到的一通电话让他措手不及，当时马刺正准备在第二天对阵灰熊。
在挂断波波维奇的电话后，琼斯又接到了代理主教练米奇·约翰逊和总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 的电话。随后，他开始重新打包行李，准备搭乘第二天一早飞往芝加哥的临时航班。
但在那之前，他还有时间与即将成为前队友的马刺球员们共进“最后的晚餐”。
“我只是像往常一样和大家呆在一起，”琼斯说，“和每个人告别，感谢所有的教练、训练团队，以及在这四年半里帮助过我的每一个人。”
在那次告别之后，他启程前往芝加哥，开启了琼斯NBA职业生涯的新篇章。
“他们立刻张开双臂欢迎我，”琼斯说，“我很快就找到了感觉。”
这种感觉在周一琼斯回到他的第一个NBA之家时，或许会再次上演。
“我们非常爱特雷，”瓦塞尔说，“我很高兴他能找到新家，并能在自己的角色中表现出色。我为他感到兴奋。”
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：A year later, Tre Jones opens up on trade that sent him away from Spur
A year later, Tre Jones opens up on trade that sent him away from Spur
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) drives to the basket against Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones, center left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Tre Jones was in a hotel room in Memphis when the call came in.
The name on the caller ID told Jones what was going on before a single word was spoken.
If Gregg Popovich was taking a break from his stroke recovery to phone his team’s backup point guard three days before the NBA trade deadline, it could only mean one thing.
“I kind of knew what was going on at that point,” Jones recalls of his last night as a member of the Spurs in February 2025.
The news Popovich delivered was soon to hit the official NBA channels.
Jones was being dealt to Chicago, along with reserve big man Zach Collins, as part of a three-team blockbuster to lure All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox to San Antonio from Sacramento.
The Spurs were moving forward with the business of constructing a championship contender around superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Jones — a 2020 second-round draft pick who had endured the fallow times in San Antonio in the years before the 7-foot-4 Frenchman’s arrival — would not be a part of what came next.
“It was definitely tough,” Jones said. “I had been around for 4 ½ years. It’s all I really knew as a professional. You had to turn the page quick.”
With Chicago visiting the Frost Bank Center on Monday, Jones is set for his first appearance in his former home arena while wearing a Bulls uniform.
Collins remains on the Bulls’ roster, but is out for the season following right big toe surgery. The reunion between Jones and the Spurs is bittersweet proposition to say the least.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson on Tre Jones, who returns to San Antonio tonight as a member of the Chicago Bulls: “He was at the forefront of doing that in terms of bringing the right approach and energy every single day. … He’s a competitive little sucker.” pic.twitter.com/GInen6vIhC
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) March 30, 2026
At 56-18 heading into Monday, the Spurs have regained their place among the NBA’s elite quicker than almost anyone could have predicted. They are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2019, locked into no worse than the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Fox has been near the forefront of the Spurs’ rise, averaging 18.8 points and 6.3 assists en route to his second career All-Star nod.
“They’re playing really well,” Jones said. “I always love to see those guys have success. Obviously, it’s been building for a few years. It’s cool to see.”
Having been here for the bad times, Jones is sorry to miss the good times that are currently rolling in San Antonio.
In Chicago, however, the 26-year-old Jones has found a path to consistent playing time that likely never would have come to fruition with the Spurs.
The Bulls saw enough from Jones at the end of last season to re-sign him to a three-year, $24-million contract over the summer.
The 6-foot-1 guard has started 33 of 57 games this season, producing career highs in scoring (13.2 points per game), assists (5.5) and steals (1.2).
“I think it was needed for my career,” Jones said of the move to Chicago. “It made me have to step out of my comfort zone. I was able to find a rhythm quickly.”
More than any single line in a box score, Jones has impressed Bulls coach Billy Donovan with the steady, veteran presence he brings to a young and rebuilding club.
“He’s a very stable guy, every day,” Donovan said. “You know what you’re getting. It’s the same disposition every day. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
Some of Jones’ consistency is rooted in his naturally low-key, even-keeled demeanor, which he appears to have possessed since the maternity ward.
Some of it was ingrained during his time with the Spurs, during which the team could not muster more than 33 victories in any of his four full seasons.
Spurs guard Devin Vassell, who arrived in the same 2020 draft class as Jones, recalled their early days together on a club still stocked with veterans like DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay.
Chicago Bulls’ Tre Jones plays during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
“Me and Tre were just talking about trying to get minutes,” Vassell said, “and making sure Pop wasn’t going to be on our ass.”
Having powered through the losing years with grit and a grin, Jones was eager to see the light at the end of the tunnel in San Antonio.
Instead, he was blindsided by a Feb. 3, 2025 phone call in Memphis, where he Spurs were in town to face the Grizzlies the next night.
After hanging up with Popovich, Jones took calls from acting coach Mitch Johnson and general manager Brian Wright. Then he started re-packing his bags for an unscheduled flight to Chicago the following morning.
But first there was time for a last supper of sorts with his soon-to-be-former Spurs teammates.
“I was just hanging out with the guys, like we always did,” Jones said. “Saying goodbye to everybody, thanking all the coaches, the training staff, everyone who helped me in those 4 ½ years.”
After that final farewell, it was off to Chicago, where are new chapter in Jones’ NBA journey awaited.
“They took me in with open arms right away,” Jones said. “I was able to find a groove pretty quickly.”
It is a feeling Jones could expect to experience again Monday, when he returned to his first NBA home.
“We’ve got so much love for Tre,” Vassell said. “I’m happy he was able to find another home and he’s able to excel in his role. I’m excited for him.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News