3 NBA players most likely to be traded in 2024 

2. Tyus Jones

Much of the Memphis Grizzlies’ early season struggles stemmed from the departure of Tyus Jones. For years, the Grizzlies were able to weather Ja Morant’s absence because Jones was the most overqualified backup quarterback in the league. Now the starter for the Washington Wizards, Jones is having a career year. He has never shot the ball better, and his historic assist-to-turnover ratio remains an unconscionable 5.4 to 0.8. 

The Wizards are going nowhere and Jones is in the final year of his contract. While he’d be an excellent placeholder for the franchise, accumulating future assets should be their top priority. Any team in need of an excellent table-setting point guard would benefit tremendously from Jones’ presence. As a bonus, his contract is $14 million, so acquiring him won’t require an exodus of significant talent to bring him on board.   

Even though Jones will be a rental, for a contender, sacrificing a first-round pick that projects in the 20s would be a fair asking price if the players headed to Washington aren’t projectable young players. If a team that is farther out from contention wants to target Jones and then hopefully extend him, then three to four second-round picks or a protected first should be enough to entice the Wizards. 

The Los Angeles Lakers should be aggressive in their pursuit of Tyus Jones. His ability to set up the offense and space the floor will ease the burden on LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Orlando Magic are also a great fit for Jones, and he is a player they should consider in free agency. The Miami Heat have gotten a lot out of Kyle Lowry this season, but adding Jones would be an upgrade and open up cap space to add another useful player. Many of the best teams in the league already have an excellent point guard, but the Utah Jazz may view Jones as a building block for their next competitive team.