A guide to the Timberwolves’ pending free agents
By Paul Ibrahim
Tyus Jones
Luckily for Timberwolves fans, with the accretion of hype around backup point guards like Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and Fred VanVleet, Tyus Jones is the high-efficiency, low-usage guard that has gotten lost in the shuffle.
Receiving only sparse praise from national media outlets, Jones will likely be signed to a contract inaccurately representing his true value. With both Smart and VanVleet hitting restricted free agency this summer and there likely to be a fierce bidding war for them, it wouldn’t be improbable for each of them to command a two to four-year deal with an average salary in the teens.
Additionally, Rozier is extension eligible with the Celtics this year, and should they not be able to come to terms, he will be a restricted free agent next summer. Should he continue the level of play he has recently played at, the capital a team decides to invest in him could truly be astronomical and redefine the backup point guard market.
This redefining of the market began last year, when Patty Mills, an above average backup entering the terminal stages of his prime, received a four-year, $50 million contract. It is not improbable to think that Rozier or Smart could procure an even greater sum.
For this reason, it is absolutely vital the Timberwolves sign Tyus Jones to a three or four-year extension this summer. Should he have another great year as he did this year, suitors of the aforementioned guards who have come out empty handed may allocate to him the funds they were ready to disburse, and it is exceedingly likely that the Timberwolves will be wholly unable to match.
If the Wolves can sign him anywhere in the $5-7 million range, that is a steal and great value.