NBA free agency officially kicked off Monday night and the Magic have made their first move.
Orlando has agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with free agent guard Tyus Jones, a league source told the Orlando Sentinel.
July 6 is when teams can formally sign free agents, starting at noon ET.
Although nothing is finalized, it’s expected Moe Wagner will return to Orlando in free agency.
A veteran point guard, Jones is entering his 11th year in the NBA and has been tied to Orlando in the past. ESPN first reported the agreement between the sides.
The Athletic reported Sunday night the Magic inquired about Jones’ availability before the 2023-24 season’s trade deadline when Jones played for the Wizards on an expiring contract.
Jones has averaged at least 10 points and 5 assists per game in each of the last three years. This past season with the Suns, he averaged 10.2 points, 5.3 assists, 2.4 rebounds and almost a full steal (0.9) per game.
He doesn’t make many mistakes either. During the 2024-25 campaign, Jones (4.71) ranked second behind only Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton (5.61) in assist-to-turnover ratio, among all players who appeared in at least 50 regular season contests, according to NBA.com.
Jones also has a connection to newly-acquired Magic guard Desmond Bane. The two spent three years together as teammates in Memphis, where Bane played the first four years of his career.
Orlando has made multiple moves to re-shape their roster this summer, some in preparation for free agency.
First, the Magic acquired 27-year-old Bane — a 3-point shooting guard who can help playmake and generate offense — in exchange for Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and multiple future first round picks.
Orlando then declined the club options of veteran guards Cory Joseph and Gary Harris as part of Bane trade, making the duo unrestricted free agents.
The Magic drafted Michigan State’s Jase Richardson with the 25th pick of the NBA draft and then moved up in the second round to select French forward Noah Penda.
On Sunday, Orlando declined the teams for Moe Wagner and reserve wing Caleb Houstan, decisions that brought the franchise below the luxury tax threshold and with 10 players signed to standard contracts.
The Magic retain the Bird rights for both players, which means either or both players could return to the team in free agency. And that’s the expectation for Wagner.
Signing Richardson and Penda would leave Orlando with three standard roster spots to fill as well as a pair of two-way deals available.
Orlando on Monday morning gave a two-way qualifying offer to Mac McClung, a league source told the Sentinel. McClung is restricted to a one-year, two-way contract with Orlando for the upcoming season or he can seek out a standard contract from another team.
By landing Jones, the Magic had a veteran presence to their backcourt.
Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com
