PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have nearly a month to make one of the most surprising moves of the offseason when they agree to terms with longtime veteran Tyus Jones on a minimum contract — under the assumption he will rehabilitate value and compete for a title in Phoenix.
Jones’ move to Phoenix had many fans – one of them being The Athletic’s John Hollinger – calling the deal one of the most underrated of the year. off season.
Hollinger realizes that this deal didn’t require as much outside creativity to pull off because Phoenix only had one type of contract to offer — unlike a deal like the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
He did, however, appreciate that the franchise agreed to wait until the end of the deal instead of filling the final roster spot, and the fact that Jones is worth more than $10 million more than the contract he actually received — by his own formula.
In some ways, it didn’t require the creativity of some of the other trades. Phoenix only had a minimum contract to offer Jones, and when the deal went against him, he took it. Credit the Suns for having the patience to wait for the deal to go through before filling their 15th roster spot, and their owners for paying the extra $12 million in luxury tax that it required rather than simply sticking to the 14-man minimum.
On the other hand, I don’t think the impact of this trade gets enough attention. The Suns desperately needed both A) a true point guard and B) another starting-caliber player at any position. Jones filled both of those slots without costing them a single draft pick (though they still had some to trade) or other assets.
My BORD$ formula had a $14.2 million valuation on Jones, which obviously makes him a steal for a minimum contract. On a team where the only other options were the fragile and offensively underpowered Monté Morris (himself a minimum deal earlier this summer) and “let’s see how another year of Point Booker goes,” Jones is actually a godsend. While he’s an extremely late arrival, he’s good enough that he could really matter in a crowded Western race where two or three wins could mean the difference between the third seed and the play-in tournament… let alone a playoff series.
Sure, Jones is healthy next summer, and they’ll have to try to replace him again, but for a team in win-now mode, the “NOW” part seems to me to be the most important part. The end of the decade in Phoenix is going to be brutal no matter what. But whatever Phoenix’s ceiling is in 2024-25 with Mat Ishbia’s absurdly all-in approach of burning every draft pick, the Suns have a much better chance of reaching it after adding Jones.
– Hollinger on Jones signing
The final verdict is that Phoenix has clearly moved forward, not only with Jones, but also with Monte Morris. They now have two low-turnover, highly effective floor generals who are also effective in the catch-and-shoot game, on favorable contracts.
From a roster standpoint, Jones’ presence gives newly knighted head coach Mike Budenholzer a lot more rotation flexibility, as well as putting another player who shoots in the 40 percent range from three-point range in an offense that could average 40 percent per game this season.
Jones could also impact the playoff race, as Hollinger points out. The Suns lost far more games than they should have in 2023-24 simply because of consistent fourth-quarter blunders, which had a direct correlation to turnovers and stagnation. It won’t be a major issue with Jones, but a constant in the lineup — assuming he stays healthy.
Jones’ consistent presence and overall efficiency could eventually allow the Suns to win the games that could ultimately mean the difference between a play-in appearance and first-round home-court advantage. That in itself is invaluable this season.
Adding Jones simply gives the franchise the best chance to reach its proverbial ceiling in 2025 — while they may not be part of the “inner circle” of title contenders, they could make their way there in a way that simply wasn’t there in 2023-24.
From an organizational and overall perspective, the addition of Jones further signifies the “all-in” approach Ishbia has taken since taking over the franchise 18 months ago.
Even if things look bleak three years from now, Ishbia will still appear to be a defender of the city, the franchise and the fans.
Don’t expect the Suns to struggle for an extended period under Ishbia, the direct antithesis of his predecessor.
