Fact Check: Did Kai Jones sign $48 million deal with Lakers? Debunking rumors of ex-Hornets forward's new contract

Earlier this year, Kai Jones was released by the Charlotte Hornets. Despite a tweet doing numbers on social media, he's not on his way to the LA Lakers.

In 2021, Kai Jones was drafted by the Hornets with the 19th overall pick. The 6-foot-11 big man showed promise in his first two seasons, but things quickly got off the rails. Following a series of questionable posts on social media, the team decided to move on from him.

On Thursday afternoon, a tweet started circling around that Jones had signed a two-year deal with the LA Lakers. It might seem real at first glance, but on further investigation, it's clearly fake.

Parody accounts are good at getting people to quickly take bait, which is why this post is already at over 1,000 likes.

Everything about this account looks similar to that of NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowksi, minus some little tweaks. For starters, the username is @wojdespn. Moreover, the account name says parody at the end.

A lot of effort was put into it, as it looks similar to something Woj would tweet if there was breaking news. That said, the information in the post is clearly fabricated.

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Kai Jones is already eying an NBA comeback

Despite how things went for Kai Jones before the season, the young prospect is already eyeing his return. During a recent appearance on the "Vizion" podcast, the former Charlotte Hornets center touched on how he's already meeting with teams again.

“Right now I’m just meeting with teams, they’re trying to get to know me better, kind of analyzing my character. I think the biggest thing for me is if I want to take it somewhere else in life and be more successful than I ever have been.

"I’ve gotta work harder than I ever have, be more detailed than I ever have, be more consistent than I ever have, and be stronger in my will, in my head space, and (physically) than I ever have.”

At 22, Jones still has time to grow as a prospect and person. Seeing that he was a former first-round pick, it's not shocking to see teams keeping close tabs on his situation. If Jones gets himself in the proper frame of mind, he's a talent worth taking a flier on for most organizations.

Jones appeared in 64 games for the Hornets last season and averaged 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks.