The Suns Add Needed Guard Help With Tyus Jones On A Minimum Deal

After the typical flurry of action in the opening week of the NBA offseason, things have slowed to a crawl and a handful of players who thought they might be in for a big contract this summer have been left to re-evaluate their situation. Among them is Tyus Jones, who was hoping to get paid like a starting point guard, either by the Wizards or someone else, but found that cap space had dried up and no one was interested in a sign-and-trade to land him on a high-priced long-term deal.

As a result, Jones had to make a decision on how best to move forward. He could’ve sought out a portion of someone’s mid-level or looked to return to Washington on a team-friendly, tradeable contract, but determined his best pathway to a big deal was to prove himself on a contender. On Saturday, word broke that he was headed to Phoenix on a 1-year, $3.3 million deal (his veteran minimum) to fill the massive hole on the Suns roster for point guard help.

Last year, the Suns operated without a true point guard for most of the season, with Devin Booker taking on the starting unit’s point guard responsibilities (and handling them fairly well). It was pretty clear by the time they got ousted by the Timberwolves in the first round that they were in desperate need of better organization on offense. The question was how they’d upgrade that point guard spot with just minimums at their disposal, but they’ve done quite well adding Monte Morris and now Tyus Jones, who is, at minimum, a fringe starter caliber guard. Getting one of those for the min is tremendous value, and while the Suns hopes for a title rest on the shoulders of their stars playing at their peak level, adding Jones undoubtedly raises their floor in the regular season.

For Jones, he gets a chance to prove he can be a big contributor on a contending team. If he performs well in that role and the Suns make a playoff run, he won’t be waiting around for a minimum next summer.