Market Heats Up for Suns Guard Ahead of Free Agency

Nearly a year removed from joining the Phoenix Suns on a veteran minimum, point guard Tyus Jones might already be moving to greener pastures.

As he heads into free agency as an unrestricted free agent, Jones is reportedly drawing interest from multiple teams eager for his playmaking prowess. In 81 games last season, he averaged 10.2 points, 5.3 assists and 1.1 turnovers per game. Jones was often a steady presence in an otherwise consistently dysfunctional Suns offense.

Teams with reported interest in the 29-year-old guard include the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves and, most notably, the Orlando Magic.

Marc Stein and Jake Fischer in their June 30 free agency primer revealed the Magic have long-coveted Jones and this offseason may finally be time for a union.

"It is believed Orlando's Sunday business — declining the $11 million team option for Moe Wagner along with the $2.1 million team option for Caleb Houstan— represents two steps toward creating the financial wiggle room needed to finally land Tyus Jones in the Magic Kingdom after the veteran point guard has been linked to them for years," Fischer wrote.

Orlando already made a splash this summer by trading for Desmond Bane. The Magic may be an appealing location for Jones given his priors with Bane in Memphis and the fact that the Eastern Conference may be wide open and the young Magic were a few injuries away from potentially being a top-3 seed last season.

Not only did Jones maintain steady playmaking during Phoenix's year of turmoil, he shot the leather off the ball, heaving 44.8 percent from the field, 41.4% from deep and 89.5% from the charity stripe.

A return to Phoenix still may be in the cards for the veteran guard, though. His role often was undefined or fluctuated under Mike Budenholzer but he was always able to regulate to offense both in transition and in the halfcourt.

Jones joins a class of veteran guards with strong interest from teams around the league this season. Other names include former MVP Russell Westbrook, who may potentially be a fit to replace Jones, D'Angelo Russell, another interesting name considering his close relationship with Devin Booker, and Chris Paul, also linked to the Suns.

Of all the names, though, I'd like to think Jones is the best option. He's not as erratic as Westbrook, as volatile as Russell, and, quite frankly, as old a Paul. Jones has rapport with many players on Phoenix's roster and was largely a fan-favorite last season.

Jones will be a name to monitor as free agency opens at 6 p.m. ET on Monday.

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