The Kings are expected to explore both the trade market and free agency this offseason in search of help at the point guard position, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
According to Scotto, Tyus Jones is one of several veteran point guards who is on Sacramento’s radar heading into the summer. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent after spending the 2024/25 season on a minimum-salary contract with Phoenix.
Jones, who earned $15MM in 2022/23 and $14MM in ’23/24, was viewed as a candidate for a mid-level deal last offseason and reportedly received offers worth more than the minimum. However, he wasn’t enamored with any of those offers and Phoenix gave him the opportunity to play a starting role for a team with championship aspirations.
Unfortunately for Jones and the Suns, the season didn’t play out as they’d hoped. The 29-year-old put up solid numbers, including 10.2 points and 5.3 assists per game with a 41.4% mark on three-point attempts, but Phoenix’s offense was less effective than it had been the year before and Jones lost his starting job during the second half.
Jones is considered a strong facilitator and shooter who takes excellent care of the ball — his 1.1 turnovers per game in 2024/25 represented a career high. However, he’s not a big-time scorer who can generate his own shot and is a little undersized on the defensive end.
When I previewed the Kings’ offseason on Tuesday, I mentioned Jones as one of many free agent point guards who might hold some appeal for a Sacramento team that traded former starter De’Aaron Fox away in February. Chris Paul, Dennis Schröder, D’Angelo Russell, Malcolm Brogdon, and Tre Jones are some of the other point guards who are on track for free agency and aren’t considered locks to re-sign with their current teams.
Based on Sacramento’s current cap position, the club should have the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (worth a projected $14.1MM) available this summer.