Tyus Jones, Grizzlies Agree to New 3-Year, $30M Contract in NBA Free Agency

Tyus Jones will return to the Memphis Grizzlies on a three-year, $30 million contract, his agent Kevin Bradbury told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday.

Jones was a standout college player at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to the 2015 national title while earning Most Outstanding Player honors during the Final Four, but he's still trying to assert himself as more than a role player in the NBA.

The 26-year-old Minnesota native spent his first four seasons with the Timberwolves and the past three with the Grizzlies.

He's averaged 6.2 points, 3.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 43.5 percent from the field, including 35.2 percent on threes, across 455 career games.

Jones did show improvement as an outside shooter in 2021-22, setting career highs in threes made per game (1.1) and shooting percentage from beyond the arc (39.0). That helped him tie for 64th among all NBA players in FiveThirtyEight's offensive Raptor (+1.3).

In April, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins praised the impressive across-the-board progress he's witnessed from the 2015 first-round pick.

"He's just a great connector out there,' Jenkins said. "I love the spirit, leadership he plays with, the way he moves the ball. He's improved defensively from the first two years we've been here. He's taken ownership there. I love how he's shooting the ball as well. Obviously when he's played a bigger role, he's filled those shoes brilliantly."

Jones will look to continue those promising trends after signing his new contract.

He could have signed elsewhere for a better opportunity to compete for a starting job—Ja Morant is locked in as the Grizzlies' top option at the point—but he's found a nice comfort zone and decided to maintain the status quo.

Jones should continue to serve as the top reserve behind Morant, and he gives Memphis a reliable veteran replacement whenever the 2022 All-Star is sidelined by injury.