Since Ja Morant’s arrival to the Memphis Grizzlies, the team has been searching for a reliable backup point guard. In 2020-21, it looked like they had found the perfect backup in Tyus Jones, who brought a huge amount of energy to the court.
Most of his numbers won’t jump off of the page, but there is one that will bring a smile to Grizz fans’ faces. Assist-to-turnover ratio.
Jones dropped a shocking 5.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, which led the league among qualifying players. While this number isn’t the holy grail of point guard statistics, it’s the ideal figure to look at for a reliable backup point guard who won’t dig you into a hole.
The Memphis Grizzlies announced that Tyus Jones was available for trade talks, turning some heads in the process
Another unexpected move by the Grizzlies came after the blockbuster trade. Memphis announced that Tyus Jones would be available for trade talks, surprising just about everybody in the league.
In the end, trading Jones makes a lot of sense for the Grizzlies. At this point, the backup point guard has one more year left on his contract, where he’ll earn $8 million. The Grizzlies have a lot of paydays coming up but may not have room to resign Jones, who will be a lower priority than guys like Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Based on how he has played, Memphis would have to pay Jones a bit more than he is valued at.
In trade talks, he’ll be a relatively valuable piece for a team that is in search of a strong backup point guard. I’m looking at teams like the Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, and any other team that wants to compete.
The Memphis Grizzlies being open to trading Tyus Jones could be a sign of who they’re targeting
Trading Jones isn’t as simple as it seems. This doesn’t just indicate that the Grizzlies are ready to move on from their backup point guard — it’s a sign that they may be interested in picking up a ball-handler in the NBA Draft. That ball handler might be Josh Giddey, an Australian point guard that mimics the playstyle of Justise Winslow.
The confusing part here is that the Grizzlies are already seemingly in range of Giddey, as the PG is generally thought of as a guy who is hovering around the 10th-overall pick. They may also be targeting Davion Mitchell, who is currently projected as ESPN’s 7th-best NBA Draft prospect.
It’s entirely possible that the Grizzlies aren’t necessarily trying to move up in the draft, but bring another strong player to the roster via trade.
With Jones, Eric Bledsoe, and a couple of first-round picks to play around with, Memphis should be able to find a suitor to move up in the draft or find that next star.