Report: Timberwolves attempting to pry veteran guard from the Wizards

With the NBA trade deadline approaching on February 8, it's no surprise to see rumors about various Minnesota Timberwolves trade targets.

Yesterday, Action Network's Matt Moore reported that the Timberwolves offered four second-round picks for Washington Wizards point guard Tyus Jones. However, the Wolves were reportedly declined, as it appears the Wizards have their sights set on a first-rounder.

Jones, who is averaging 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and less than a turnover per game for the Wizards would be an incredible grab for the Wolves. 

The former Blue Devil is a Minnesota native and began his career in the Twin Cities, beginning in 2015 and lasting until 2019. After the 2018-19 season, Jones moved on to Memphis and backed up Grizzlies star Ja Morant. As a starter, Jones went a combined 32-13 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. 

The great thing about Jones is that he is similar to both Mike Conley and forward Kyle Anderson. He's the ultimate stabilizer. Jones may not initiate much scoring, but he'll always make the right play as evidenced by his extraordinary assist-to-turnover ratio.

This may not sound like much, but considering the Timberwolves are 28th in turnovers per game and have historically been poor in the turnover department, an addition like this is crucial.

The downside to Jones is that his contract expires after this season. He'll be an an unrestricted free agent in the offseason.

Jones turns 28 years old in July and is expected to earn a big payday. With the Timberwolves' current salary cap situation, a trade, then extension for Jones would likely mean jettisoning both Conley and Anderson in the offseason. Additionally, the likelihood of a Karl-Anthony Towns or Rudy Gobert trade would increase dramatically in the offseason. 

This wouldn't be the first time the younger Jones replaced Conley. When Jones left the Timberwolves to sign with the Grizzlies in the summer of 2019, Memphis decided to trade Conley to the Utah Jazz. 

With under a week left until the trade deadline, time is ticking for Minnesota to make a move. A guy like Jones, who is looked at as more of a plug-and-play type of player, can improve the Wolves this season. The downside is that the contract situation forces the Timberwolves to make a difficult decision in the upcoming months.