Free agent guard Tyus Jones has agreed to sign with the Denver Nuggets, his agent, Kevin Bradbury of LIFT Sports Management, told ESPN on Monday.
Jones, 29, serves as a veteran point guard to fill a need for the Nuggets’ backcourt down the stretch of the season and is eligible for the playoffs. He started the season — his 11th in the NBA — with the Orlando Magic after signing a one-year deal last summer. Jones was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, then moved to the Dallas Mavericks at the trade deadline before being waived on Saturday to clear roster space for the team to sign two-way guard Ryan Nembhard.
In eight games since joining the Mavericks in early February, Jones averaged 8.1 assists per 36 minutes — and had a 6.0 assist-to-turnover ratio, which ranked third best in the NBA during that span, according to ESPN Research.
Jones gives the Nuggets an experienced ball handler and game manager as a reserve behind Jamal Murray. This season, the Nuggets average the third-fewest assists per game off the bench (6.5) in the NBA — ahead of only the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
The best stretch of Jones’ career came with Memphis in 2021-22 and 2022-23, when he garnered votes for Sixth Man of the Year while averaging 9.5 points and 4.8 assists across 153 games.
Jones is averaging career lows in points per game (3.1), field goal percentage (34.9%) and 3-point percentage (28.1%) this season.