3 free agent targets Cavs should be watching this postseason

3 free agent targets for Cavs to watch: Tyus Jones, PG, Memphis Grizzlies

The Cavaliers are set with their starting point guard, as Darius Garland is young and exploding into one of the better point guards in the entire league. As Chris Paul, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry age out of relevance, Garland will join the likes of Ja Morant, Trae Young and others (LaMelo Ball? Jordan Poole?) as the league’s most exciting point guards.

Yet the Cavs also learned this past season how valuable an elite backup point guard was. 48 uninterrupted minutes of above-average point guard play is a necessity in the NBA, and players such as Rajon Rondo and Brandon Goodwin did not bring the same quality of play as Ricky Rubio did over the first half of the season.

Tyus Jones has been holding down the ship for the Memphis Grizzlies over the past few seasons, never flashy but always one of the most reliable backup point guards in the league. When Morant has missed time he has been able to step directly into the starting lineup and the Grizzlies have barely missed a beat.

It’s unclear what his market will be this summer; not many teams have cap space, most have point guards already and Jalen Brunson at least is above him in the pecking order. That might depress his market enough for the Cavs to lure him with their full midlevel exception. He can back up Garland and play significant minutes alongside him, making use of Garland’s elite off-ball offensive impact. It’s not the team’s largest area of need, but it would be an efficient use of that salary slot for a great player.