The Washington Wizards entered the 2022 NBA offseason with a clear need at point guard. While the Wizards' selection of former Wisconsin star Johnny Davis with the No. 10 pick could wind up filling this need on a long-term basis, a short-term upgrade is still needed as Davis learns the ropes in the NBA after primarily playing shooting guard in college.
Washington's front office has a lengthy list of potential point guard options it's looking at, and we can add another name to the list: Memphis Grizzlies free agent Tyus Jones, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. This comes after pre-draft rumblings that the Wizards have interest in Denver Nuggets point guard Monte Morris.
Washington has its full mid-level exception (worth over $10 million for the 2022-23 season) available, which could very well be enough to pry Jones away from Memphis. While the Grizzlies did trade De'Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers, they also wound up with Kennedy Chandler in the second round. The team would love to keep Jones around as a veteran behind Ja Morant, but there's a limit on what they will pay him.
Jones averaged a career-high 8.7 points to go along with 4.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 73 games in 2021-22. He shot 45.1% from the field and a career-best 39.0% from 3-point range. The Duke product got 23 starts because of Morant's injuries and played a key role in Memphis' sterling record without the MVP candidate. The Grizzlies won 56 regular-season games and gave the Golden State Warriors a fight in the second round.
The Wizards are trying to build a better roster around Bradley Beal, who's expected to re-up on a long-term contract. Getting the point guard position next to Beal right is a huge deal, which is why Washington drafted Davis and is looking at a number of veteran options.
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