Suns Got One of Biggest Steals This Offseason

Tyus Jones has many fans inside the league.

Mar 14, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Washington Wizards guard Tyus Jones (5) pulls up to shoot the ball during the third quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are nearly a month removed from pulling off one of the most surprising moves of the offseason when they agreed to terms with longtime veteran PG Tyus Jones on a minimum contract - under the assumption that he would rehabilitate value and compete for a title in Phoenix.

The Jones-to-Phoenix move had many fans - one being John Hollinger of The Athletic - who rated the deal as one of the most underrated of this offseason.

Hollinger realizes that this deal didn't take as much outward creativity to complete, as Phoenix only had one contract type to offer - unlike one such as the Klay Thompson sign-and-trade to the Dallas Mavericks.

He did appreciate the franchise for willing to wait out the market instead of filling out the final roster spot, however, and the fact that Jones is worth over $10 million more than the contract he actually received - per his own formula.

On one level, this didn’t require the creative juice of some of the other moves. Phoenix only had a minimum deal to offer Jones, and when the market turned on him, he took it. Credit to the Suns for having the patience to wait out the market before filling their 15th roster spot, and to their ownership for paying the additional $12 million in luxury tax this required rather than just staying at the minimum 14 players.

On the other hand, I don’t think the impact of this move is getting enough attention. The Suns desperately needed both A) a real point guard and B) another starting-caliber level player, at any position. Jones checked both boxes without costing them any draft picks (not that they had any left to trade) or other assets.

My BORD$ formula had a $14.2 million valuation on Jones, which obviously makes him a screaming bargain on a minimum deal. On a roster where the only other options were the brittle and less offensively potent Monté Morris (himself a bargain on a minimum deal earlier this summer) and “let’s see how another year of Point Booker works out,” Jones is basically manna from heaven. Though an extremely late addition, he’s good enough that he could genuinely matter in a congested West race where two or three wins might be the difference between the third seed and the Play-In Tournament … not to mention a playoff series.

Sure, Jones is gonzo next summer, and they’ll have to try to fill his spot again, but for a team in win-now mode, the “NOW” part strikes me as the more important element. The late-decade endgame in Phoenix looks brutal no matter what. But whatever Phoenix’s 2024-25 ceiling is going to be with Mat Ishbia’s absurdly all-in, burn-all-the-draft-picks approach, the Suns are way more likely to hit it after adding Jones.

- Hollinger on the Jones signing

The ultimate verdict is that Phoenix clearly upgraded - not only with Jones - but also with Monte Morris. They now have two low-turnover, highly efficient floor generals that are efficient in the catch-and-shoot game as well - on bargain contracts at that.

From a roster perspective, the presence of Jones gives newly knighted head coach Mike Budenholzer much more rotational flexibility, as well as putting another player that shoots in the ballpark of 40% from three-point range in an offense that could average around 40 per contest this season.

Jones could also very well have an impact on the playoff race as Hollinger points out. The Suns lost far more contests compared to what they should have in 2023-24 simply due to constant fourth quarter blunders that had a direct correlation with turnovers and stagnation. That won't be as much of an issue with Jones as a constant in the lineup - assuming he stays healthy.

Jones' steadying presence and overall efficiency could eventually win the Suns games that ultimately could be the difference between a play-in appearance and clinching home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. That in and of itself is invaluable this season.

The addition of Jones simply gives the franchise the best chance to hit their proverbial ceiling in 2025 - although they may not be in the "inner circle" of title contenders, they could work their way into it in a fashion that was just not around in 2023-24.

From an organizational and big picture perspective, the addition of Jones further signifies the "all-in" approach that Ishbia has gone for ever since taking over the stewardship of the franchise 18 months ago.

Even if the sitaution is bleak three years down the road, Ishbia will seemingly always be an advocate for the city, the franchise, and the fans.

Don't expect the Suns to be down and out for an extended period of time in any fashion under Ishbia - the direct antithesis of his predecessor.