Memphis Grizzlies: 5 takeaways from first day of free agency
The Memphis Grizzlies retained free agent Tyus Jones on a 2-year deal
Fans were able to put the bad news about Jackson’s injury behind them after learning that Tyus Jones agreed to a two-year, $30 million deal, as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Free agent G Tyus Jones is returning to the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-year, $30M deal, his agent Kevin Bradbury of @REP1Basketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
For several weeks we had been hearing that Jones coveted a role on a team as a full-time starter. Those options quickly dried up for him before free agency even started.
Teams with an open spot and/or cap space were few and far in-between. Washington was thought to have Jones high on their list, but a trade for Denver’s Monte Morris negated the need for Jones.
Instead, Jones and the Grizzlies came to terms on a deal that will reportedly make him one of the highest-paid backup point guards in the NBA.
It’s really a win-win situation. Jones, 26, can kick the can down the road on pursuing a full-time starting job for a couple of seasons and the Grizzlies can buy some time for rookie Kennedy Chandler to learn the NBA ropes before taking on the pressures of running an offense so early in his career.
Kyle Anderson is no longer a member of the Memphis Grizzlies
Slo-Mo is moving on after a great, four-year career with the Grizzlies. The 6’9 forward decided to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a two-year, $18 million deal, per Woj.
Anderson’s contributions to the Grizzlies were outstanding. He competed in 248 games, averaging 8.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.9 APG and 1.1 SPG in his nearly half-decade stint in Grind City.
The Timberwolves scored a great pick-up here with Kyle Anderson. He’ll bring a steady, veteran hand to a young team, just like he did when he shifted from the San Antonio Spurs to the Memphis Grizzlies.
The question for Memphis becomes: who will take up Anderson’s 21.5 minutes per game on the court next season? Will it be more minutes for Ziaire Williams? Rookie Jake LaRavia?
With Slo-Mo gone and Jackson out for several months, the forward position just got a lot more interesting heading into next season.