Nuggets Officially Sign Tyus Jones! Wearing No. 5 and Playoff Eligible: Joins Jokić in Championship Pursuit

On March 6, Beijing time, the Denver Nuggets officially announced that the team has formally signed Tyus Jones. He will wear jersey No. 5 and join forces with Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray to compete for the championship.

Previously, Nuggets reporter Benedetto reported that the Nuggets恰好 had one open spot on their standard roster, which they will use to sign Jones, who was waived by the Mavericks. The 29-year-old player retains playoff eligibility because he was waived before Monday's deadline.

Jones' contract will cover the remainder of the 2025-26 season, with a prorated portion of the veteran's minimum salary. His salary for the rest of this season is $814,552, and the Nuggets' salary cap hit is $514,682.

Jones was the 24th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft and is currently in his 11th professional season. He is known for his excellent playmaking skills and remarkably low turnover rate. The former Duke guard has played 738 regular-season games for the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Wizards, Suns, Magic, and Mavericks, averaging 7.3 points and 4.3 assists in 20.7 minutes per game, with just 0.8 turnovers.

After spending four seasons each with the Timberwolves and Grizzlies, Jones has moved between several teams in recent years, playing for four different teams over the past three seasons. He signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Magic at the start of this season but performed poorly there, averaging only 3.1 points and 2.6 assists off the bench, with shooting splits of 34.9% from the field, 28.1% from three-point range, and 87.5% from the free-throw line.

At the trade deadline, the Magic traded Jones to the Hornets to clear salary and avoid the luxury tax; the Hornets then traded him to the Mavericks. Reports at the time indicated that the Mavericks had attempted to sign Jones last summer but ultimately signed D'Angelo Russell instead, and they were pleased to have him for the remainder of the season. Jones played 8 games for the Mavericks, averaging 3.9 points and 3.8 assists in 16.6 minutes per game, shooting 38.2% from the field, 21.1% from three-point range, and 50% from the free-throw line.

However, Jones evidently preferred to join a playoff-contending team. He has now chosen to join the Nuggets—the 2023 NBA champions, who have been eliminated in the Western Conference Semifinals Game 7 in each of the past two seasons.