The NBA's new CBA - Collective Bargaining Agreement - put plenty of middle-class free agents in a bind this past offseason.
Money could not be handed out as freely as it once was, so a handful of players had to settle for less, in some cases far less, than what many expected them to sign for. The hope for them is that they play on a contender for a season to showcase what they can do on the big stage and hope to earn a richer deal the following free agency.
That said, let us look at three players who signed to contenders for cheap and should help their new squads in a big way during the 2024-25 NBA season.
Tyus Jones - Phoenix Suns
From the moment the Phoenix Suns assembled one of the NBA's most talented trios in Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant, people were asking who the point guard would be. Well, after primarily going without a legitimate one last year, they have now added Tyus Jones on a one-year deal worth a hair over $2 million. Talk about addressing a problem with little financial resources.
The Suns have added one of the best facilitating, low-turnover guards in the business. Jones just had a career year with 7.3 assists per matchup in Washington, and he might shatter that in Phoenix due to the sheer amount of offensive talent around him. It's a pure point guard's dream, and Jones should be of great use in taking this Phoenix offense to another level.
The Suns made out like bandits with this signing.
Side note - The Suns also added Monte Morris via a minimum deal in free agency, and even he should be a nice addition to the point guard rotation behind Jones. With the point guard rotation revamped and other newcomers, such as Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro and coach Mike Budenholzer, the Suns may make some noise out West this season.