I wouldn't call it stupid until we hear the exact contract terms. He could have simply been angling for a one way contract in year 2 like Jake Allen's deal (although probably something closer to the league minimum). Jones missed a couple days of training camp which isn't a huge problem. Maybe I missed it, but was there any indication of what the Kings had been offering?
He has zero ground to stand on for a one-way deal in year two, assuming that was an issue he pushed for. I'd assume that if his agent is worth a lick of salt, he likely advised Jones of that as well. DL's done that in the past, presumably Cliché is on a one-way deal this year. That doesn't mean he'll get one and frankly, Jones et al. should have came off that soapbox, or whatever their stance was, a long time back. You don't make to many demands without leverage.
The Kings are required to offer Jones a minimum of a 10% raise on a contract as part of the CBA, so they had to be offering at least $577,500 (I believe he was making the league minimum last year) per year.
He should have came to terms in mid-August at the latest.
And missing a couple days of camp can have a huge impact. Not only is he a few reps off everyone in shaking the rust, the delay forced the Kings to give all the net time in the Frozen Fury to other goalies, and the Kings also brought in Garon who now is additional competition potentially. He gained nothing from this.
The Mayor reported that Jones wanted a one year deal, and the Kings wanted two years.
One year makes sense for Jones, but again, what leg does he have to stand on? He could hold out or go to Europe, but the odds the Kings were going to back down is remote. His only hope was Quick or Scribbles gets hurt, and hurt long-term at that. And even that went down the tubes when the Kings brought in Garon.