Grizzlies Secure Ja Morant Backup With 2-Year Deal

The Memphis Grizzlies have secured Ja Morant's backup point guard Tyus Jones to a 2-year, $30 million deal, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Free agent G Tyus Jones is returning to the Memphis Grizzlies on a two-year, $30M deal, his agent Kevin Bradbury of @REP1Basketball tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022

Jones became a solid piece for the Grizzlies' bench throughout the 2021-22 season, where they finished second in the Western Conference regular season standings. He has been in Memphis the last three campaigns, after spending the first four years of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In 73 games this past season, the 6-foot guard averaged 8.7 points and 4.4 assists and shot a career-best 39.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Jones also started in 23 games for Memphis during the regular season, stepping in for Ja Morant, who missed 25 games. The Grizzlies went 20-5 without their franchise star and Jones played a key role in making sure Memphis did not fall off despite Morant's absence.

As a starter, the 26-year-old averaged 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 39.6 percent from long distance.