Memphis Grizzlies: Is Tyus Jones’ job safe with Rajon Rondo bought out?

When the Memphis Grizzlies put Tyus Jones on the track block earlier this offseason, it came as a surprise to just about everybody. Jones had become Ja Morant’s long-awaited backup point guard. Last season, he led the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. If he wasn’t the best backup point guard in the league, he was the safest.

Still, his fate seemed even further sealed when the Grizzlies brought in Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo via trade. Even though it seemed unlikely that they’d hold onto both, it seemed like one or the other was due to take over Tyus Jones’ starting role.

Then the Grizzlies traded Beverley. Then they bought out Rondo’s contract.

Where does Memphis Grizzlies PG Tyus Jones stand after the Rajon Rondo contract buyout?

If you’re not caught up, I’ll give you the short version of the story. The Grizzlies bought out Rajon Rondo’s contract, which would have been worth $8.3 million. This brought the Grizzlies one step closer to reaching the league’s 15-player limit and gave Rondo the freedom to return to the Los Angeles Lakers.

This turned some heads, as some fans still believed that Rondo would have taken over as a rental backup in place of Tyus Jones. Now, Jones is the only other point guard on the team, which lends the idea that he may remain on this roster, at least for now.

But that leads to the next question — does it even make sense to hold onto Jones?

As things stand, Jones will be entering the final year of his contract. He’ll count for $8.4 against the team’s cap space next year and following the 2021-22 season, he’ll be off the books. This means that the Grizzlies will have to pay him if they want to keep him on the books. To take things even further, they’ll have to pay him an increased salary, as he’ll be coming off of a career year.

Last season, Jones averaged 6.3 points, 3.7 assists, and notably, shot the ball at over 91% from the free-throw line, a new career-high for the former Duke basketball star. As previously mentioned, he also led the league in assist to turnover ratio on a pretty high volume of passes. This is a very specific, but very uncommon stat.

Unfortunately, Jones’ elevated level of play puts Memphis in a tricky spot. The Grizzlies still have to pay Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the upcoming seasons, so they’ll be looking to save money where they can. Morant is likely due for a maximum contract, while JJJ is probably slightly below that figure.

Extending Jones would be great for this team’s second rotation, but it could cause a ripple effect that disrupts the Grizzlies down the road. Still, it’s seeming more and more likely that Memphis is either planning on keeping him around and letting him walk at the conclusion of his contract or giving him the extension.

Just about everything the Grizzlies have done this offseason has been completely unpredictable, so all that we can do right now is sit back and watch.