76ers Acquire Tyus Jones From Wizards In Bold Trade Idea

The Philadelphia 76ers have consistently been one of the best teams in the NBA this season. But, some people are hesitant to consider them legitimate title contenders based on previous postseason performances and some flaws on their roster.

The 76ers are toeing a tough line, looking to keep their salary cap clean in 2024, when they can go big game hunting in free agency. But, if they want to contend for a championship this season, their roster could use a few tweaks. To find those upgrades they very well may have to add future salary to their books.

Ideally, general manager Daryl Morey would be able to add an impact player who is on an expiring contract. It would not only improve their odds of winning presently but also keep their money available to spend during the 2024 NBA offseason.

Tim Bontemps of ESPN has come up with a hypothetical trade with the Washington Wizards that accomplishes both. The 76ers would acquire point guard Tyus Jones in exchange for Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr. and two second-round picks.

“This deal accomplishes two things for the 76ers: it gets them a proven ball handler to operate the second unit (something this group desperately needs) and it could also help reduce Tyrese Maxey‘s minutes load. Maxey, the favorite for most improved player, leads the NBA at 37.5 minutes per game — a big jump from the 33.6 per game he played last season. Jones has played in the postseason each of the past three seasons, has averaged less than a turnover per game every season of his career, and is shooting 41% from 3-point range — all things the 76ers need.

If the 76ers can make a couple of moves like this to deepen their rotation over the next couple of weeks, it would both give them a real chance to compete with the top teams in the East. It would also give Daryl Morey another option for the 76ers’ cap space aside from chasing a star player, which looks less likely to work by the day,” wrote Bontemps.

This would be a home run deal for the 76ers. They get a more than serviceable player in Jones, who has proven that his efficient performances with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies earlier in his career weren’t flukes. 

Despite starting 46 games and playing 28.6 minutes per game, Jones is still averaging less than one turnover per game, at 0.8, to go along with 6.3 assists. That kind of ball security is something every NBA team could use at the point guard position, as Jones doesn’t waste possessions.

While he has stated he wants to remain a starter, getting traded to a playoff contender in the 76ers and producing in the postseason would certainly bolster his free agent profile heading into the offseason. He could even start alongside Tyrese Maxey, offering a similar size profile to De’Anthony Melton, who has started 33 games for Philadelphia.

Most importantly, he would give Nick Nurse someone he could rely on to run the point guard position for the minutes when Maxey is off the court. As Bontemps noted, Maxey is playing a ton of minutes and any way the team can start scaling those back without suffering a loss of production would be seen as a victory.