MEMPHIS – As one of the most reliable, young point guards on the summer market, Tyus Jones could have chosen a clearer path elsewhere to a potential starting job for the first time in his NBA career.
As an established role player who competed on title contenders at each of his three previous stops, it would have been understandable if Jae Crowder balked at being traded to Memphis amid a roster reset.
And as a productive big man now entering his peak, Jonas Valanciunas could have opted for a featured role on a more established team when he opted out of his contract over the summer to test free agency.