Boston Celtics fully involved in 2 trades Wizards as $14m stars remains top target in 2023 NBA offseason

The fact that the Washington Wizards received Tyus Jones as part of the Boston trade for Kristaps Porzingis was lost in the commotion. Tyus Jones is fantastic! He’s the NBA’s most consistent point guard, with a career assist-to-turnover ratio of +5.57. According to NBA.com, he was in the 79th percentile of all pick-and-roll ballhandlers in the regular season, averaging 1.28 points per possession on such possessions. He had plenty of admirers, but the Grizzlies sent him to Washington to help them acquire Marcus Smart.

The thing is, Tyus Jones is excellent. The Wizards are going into tank mode and intend to cause havoc. Even after trading Chris Paul (to Golden State) and Monte Morris (to Detroit), they still have a surplus of point guards on their roster. Jones is also on an expiring contract with a $14 million cap figure. It’s a figure that almost every squad can reach. With the Wizards’ current trajectory, it wouldn’t make sense to re-sign Jones to a large contract or to re-sign with a team that is moving backwards before moving forwards. The question isn’t whether the Wizards will deal Jones, but when.

Candidates for trade by the Wizards

The when could be at the trade deadline when every team has a better gauge of who all is going for a title push and will pay more of a premium than they would right now. Perhaps the Wizards would wait until then, but they should take calls on Jones now anyway. One team that reportedly was interested was the Los Angeles Clippers, who badly could use a table setter at point guard that can also take and make shots to spread the floor for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. If their pursuit of James Harden goes awry, Tyus Jones would make for a nice consolation prize.

The Boston Celtics should return to the negotiation table with the Wizards for Tyus Jones’ services. It’s unclear why they didn’t include Tyus Jones in the initial Kristaps Porzingis for Marcus Smart transaction, but they should have. Boston’s offense was already prone to become slow for extended stretches of time during the playoffs, and that was before they traded Marcus Smart, their best passer and/or connector. Boston’s offensive numbers appear to be good, but they were streaky.

According to ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry, the Boston Celtics were 8-2 when they made at least 12 three-pointers in a game up until Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and 0-5 when they didn’t. That reflects not just a rigidity in an attacking scheme, but also a lack of ability to develop and make shots of a varied type. Tyus Jones would be a huge assistance in that role. For a squad that has been so close to a title in recent years (five conference finals appearances in the last seven seasons and one Finals trip), paying up for a significant boost at point guard (when they can on August 22) would be a great help.