It is no secret that the Phoenix Suns were only equipped with the veteran's minimum to go out and sign free agents this offseason. For the second summer in a row, they used these deals to great effect, signing up guys such as Mason Plumlee and Monte Morris.
This was somehow an improvement on a year ago, when the likes of Yuta Watanabe, Keita Bates-Diop and Drew Eubanks were all added in the same way. One other player the Suns managed to add later in this offseason was Tyus Jones, and it was a move that was quickly praised as the steal of the summer by the organization.
Austin Rivers thinks this is far from a good sign for the league though.
Speaking on his "Off Guard" podcast on The Ringer's podcast network, Rivers turned his attention to how difficult it can be for younger players to stick in the league today. There may have been an element of his own career playing into his opinions on this too, given he's currently out of the league despite the fact he's been a solid role player wherever he has gone.
"That is why you see so many guys getting pushed out the league, and I will stand on this. I do believe it’s diluting the NBA... I can give you 15 backup point guards right now that aren’t as good as Tyus Jones. If Tyus Jones was 22-years-old right now, he’d have a $40 million (contract). It makes no f*****g sense".
Whatever about Rivers' choice of language, there's no doubting that Jones is being seriously underpaid to play in the league this season. So much so that Phoenix wasn't even considered a serious destination for him this offseason, because it was thought that they didn't have the money to pay him what he should be making in the league.
Jones has gone from starting his career well with the Minnesota Timberwolves, to growing into probably the best backup point guard in the entire league with the Memphis Grizzlies. Last season with the Washington Wizards did little for his profile - nobody is paying attention to that team for any of the right reasons - but it did allow him to start all 66 games he appeared in.
In that time he managed to put up over 12 points and seven assists each night, with the 29.3 minutes of time he had on the court each night a career high. For that to be followed up with a kind of one-year, "prove it" deal in The Valley seems strange, especially given Jones is 28-years-old, is a known commodity in the league and can absolutely help all manner of teams.
I believe the #Suns signed Monte Morris thinking that was it at the point guard position this summer — then they got Tyus Jones — and now I don’t think there’s a real spot for Morris on this team anymore (✍🏻 @ValleyoftheSuns)https://t.co/lFnhd4O7dp
— Luke Duffy (@LucaLockheart) September 19, 2024
Rivers wasn't done either, going on to say "that is why you see so many guys getting pushed out the league. And I will stand on this. I do believe it’s diluting the NBA". The league is as competitive as ever, and the expansion rumored to be heading to Seattle and Las Vegas cannot come quick enough for those guys on the fringes.
From the perspective of the Suns though, this is simply smart business and a chance to add a real point guard to a roster that seriously struggled without one last season. The Suns finished 25th in turnovers last time out (14.9), with every other team who finished below them picking in the top 10 of this year's NBA Draft.
It is still not confirmed if Jones will even start for the Suns - he has already gone on the record as saying he will be - but even off the bench he is an excellent weapon to have. Considering he's on the same kind of deal as Bol Bol for example, Rivers is right in pointing out how difficult it is to get paid what you deserve in the NBA today.