3 Suns whose roles are under threat after the arrival of Tyus Jones

The Phoenix Suns surprised the NBA world on Saturday, as they somehow convinced Tyus Jones to take the veteran's minimum and join the organization on a one year deal. As surprising as this announcement was - and it is a clear upgrade for the team's point guard rotation - it also speaks more to the new landscape of the league.

Put simply, Jones was the odd man out when it came to what few franchises actually had cap space to spend this summer. The midlevel exception appears to be getting phased out of use as well, which left Jones with no option but to take less money now, in order to put himself in the shop window with a fringe contender and hopefully get paid down the road.

The Suns obviously profit from this situation, but not everybody in The Valley is going to be happy.

Which makes sense, because a player like Jones - at one point the best backup point guard in the entire league while with the Memphis Grizzlies - is going to need plenty of minutes to make an impact. His 12 points and over seven assists with the Washington Wizards last season while setting the table exactly what the Suns have been crying out for. Look away now if you're one of these guys though...

3. Josh Okogie

Many were surprised to see Josh Okogie come back to Phoenix on a two-year, $16 million deal this summer, but it made sense for both parties. Okogie started for the Suns on the opening night of last season - and although he has some limitations - he is this roster's version of Torrey Craig or Jae Crowder. Players who had a role and executed it well in the past.

But the introduction of Jones complicates the picture for Okogie. Although he may have been brought back with a view to trading him down the road anyway - there was rumored to be interest in him around the league prior to coming back - Okogie is going to get less of a chance to show what he can do each night.

Jones might not be in direct competition for minutes, but his arrival now converts both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal back to the more pure scorers that they have been in the past. Beal in particular might even see time at the three under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, which would push Okogie into the depths of the second unit.

Okogie played roughly 16 minutes per game during the regular season last time out, and he can forget that happening in 2024-25. Hard as it might be to believe with the thin roster the Suns supposedly have behind their trio of stars, the introduction of another proven veteran in Jones has really put the squeeze on Okogie.