Constructing the perfect dream offseason for the Cavs

Constructing the Cavs’ dream offseason: Sign Tyus Jones to full MLE

This has been one of the most popular rumors of the offseason for the Cavs, and for good reason. Signing Tyus Jones to the full Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception is an excellent value for that roster-building tool, and it addresses an area of need for this team while simultaneously raising the floor and the ceiling.

The team thrived with two point guards last season before Ricky Rubio went down, and Tyus Jones can fill that same role. He will play any minutes that Darius Garland doesn’t, giving the Cavs 48 minutes of above-average point guard play. When we ranked the top 30 point guards in the league Jones checked in at 25; with Garland as No. 10, the Cavs would have one of the best point guard rooms in the league.

Where the floor is raised is whenever Garland misses time; instead of desperately trying to keep the offense afloat with a combination of two-way players and aged veterans, the Cavs can instead rely on a player in his prime who absolutely excelled when Ja Morant missed time in Memphis. The ceiling goes up when you factor in Jones and Garland playing together, giving the offense two shooters and two shot creators to absolutely shred defenses.

Jones may be seeking a starting job elsewhere, but if he can’t find one the Cavs are offering starter-level minutes with a recent blueprint to prove what that looks like. On a loaded Memphis team he averaged just 21.2 minutes per game last season, while Ricky Rubio averaged 28.5 in Cleveland. There are plenty of reasons for Jones to join the Cavs, and if he did it would be the perfect match for all sides.