Duke basketball fans yearning for some national championship nostalgia got some good news on Saturday.
Tyus Jones, who won a national championship with the Blue Devils back in 2015, signed with the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the deal, a one-year contract worth $3.3 million dollars.
The deal reunites Jones with Grayson Allen, a freshman on that 2014-15 title team.
During the 2015 national championship game against Wisconsin, Jones and Allen finished as the Blue Devils’ two leading scorers. They teamed for 39 of Duke’s 68 points and shot a combined 12/21 (57.1%) from the floor.
The rest of the team made 12 of their 30 shots. Given that the Blue Devils won that game by five points, it’s reasonable to say Jones and Allen single-handedly brought the fifth banner to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“The chance to play for the Phoenix Suns made the most sense on a lot of levels to me and my family,” Jones said in a statement about the contract. “Coach (Mike Budenholzer) showed me how I can significantly impact a team that has a real opportunity to challenge for an NBA title as their starting point guard.”
Tyus Jones — the market’s top remaining free agent guard — has agreed on a one-year, $3.3 million deal with the Phoenix Suns, Kevin Bradbury of @LiftSportsMNGMT tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/lhhJkKowQz
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 27, 2024
Jones, who previously played for the Washington Wizards, averaged 12.0 points and 7.3 assists (both career-highs) last season. Allen, for his part, also set a new personal best with 13.5 points per game after shooting an NBA-best 46.1% from 3-point range.