3 veteran point guards the Toronto Raptors should target in 2024 free agency

1. Tyus Jones

If the stars can align for the Toronto Raptors, Tyus Jones of the Washington Wizards is the absolute upper-echelon of veteran PGs to target. The leading floor general for a 2014-15 Duke Blue Devils team that would become NCAA Champions, Jones also earned the NCAA Most Outstanding Player award off a performance of 23 points and five rebounds in the championship game. Tyus would join his Duke teammates including Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, and Justise Winslow, in declaring for the 2015 NBA Draft. Unlike his college brethren in Okafor and Winslow, who ended up as lottery picks, Tyus Jones was selected at 24th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, where they quickly rerouted his draft rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

In Minnesota, Jones would prove to be a solid contributor in limited minutes, never quite breaking out beyond a strong backup point guard role. Tyus would soon find a new home in Memphis in the 2019 offseason after Minnesota declined to match a three-year deal worth over $26 million. He would continue to be one of the league’s absolute best backup PGs around, becoming the NBA’s assists to turnover ratio leader in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. 

The 2021-22 season would prove to be Tyus Jones’ breakout year as he was largely influential in the Memphis Grizzlies continuing to be competitive albeit in the absence of their franchise star Ja Morant. The team went 20-5 in regular season games wherein Morant was inactive due to injury, and Tyus Jones took over the starting PG role in 23 of those 25 games. Jones would earn a new deal from the Grizzlies when he signed a two-year, $30 million contract extension. Despite getting a nice little payday for his efforts, Jones would continue to be one of the league’s most efficient and effective budget players around. $15 million a year for a guy who is a winning player and shows hustle every game is bang for your buck in every facet of the term. 

Tyus Jones has been the NBA’s assist-to-turnover ratio leader for six consecutive seasons, and even since being traded to the Washington Wizards, he’s shown to still be a difference maker in an enhanced role. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Tyus Jones is a player any front office would love to have on their roster. He’s unselfish, shows a ton of heart, and he’s crafty in many different ways. Tyus can dish the rock like a veteran floor general, but he’s not too shabby of an offensive player either, as Jones can shoot the three-ball at an efficient rate and produce double-digit points on a nightly basis. 

To put it quite simply, Tyus Jones is the pinnacle of veteran point guards available this offseason. Toronto has their franchise guard Immanuel Quickley to worry about first, but if you can squeeze in a multi-year deal for a player of Tyus Jones’ caliber, he could end up carving out a successful Raptors tenure. His hustle and grit is a spirit long embodied by Raptors’ players, and surely Toronto fans would welcome him to the city with open arms.