Tre Jones’ future with the team
Now that Jones is entrenched in the starting lineup for the remainder of the season, that will certainly affect his upcoming restricted free agency and he could be in for a solid payday. On an up-and-coming team such as the Spurs, Jones is a solid starter, while on a good team he’s more of a high-end backup point guard. Either way, teams are always in need of point guards, so he’ll likely have a market in restricted free agency.
Still, a lot depends on where the Spurs draft. Despite a red-hot start to the season, the Spurs could still end up selecting Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson, each of whom affects his restricted free agency. If it’s Wembanyama, then the Spurs might be more willing to pay to keep Jones around for the long term given how well he’s played on both sides of the ball.
After all, a projected starting five of Jones, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Wembanyama, is the foundation for a fantastic defensive team. Additionally, with Wembanyama, the Spurs would need passers who can get him the ball in the right spots and Jones has more than proven that he can facilitate.
On the other hand, if the Spurs select Henderson, then he’d obviously usurp Jones in the starting lineup. Still, considering 19-year-old Blake Wesley is the only point guard under contract for next season, they’d likely strongly consider bringing Jones back and have him help lead the second unit and even play alongside Henderson.
The Spurs have a history of re-signing players that they’ve taken the time to develop and I suspect that they’d do the same with Jones. No matter what happens, it appears that Tre Jones is the San Antonio Spurs’ new point guard of the future.