After leaving a roster spot open for eight months, the Nuggets have their 15th man.
Denver is signing point guard Tyus Jones to a rest-of-season minimum deal, a league source told The Denver Post, confirming a report by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Mavericks waived Jones on Saturday, clearing a path for him to be playoff-eligible with a new team. The Nuggets are hoping he can provide ball-handling depth to help them get through the regular season, in addition to shooting and IQ with the ball, a team source said.
Jones, 29, changed teams twice before the trade deadline in February. He started the season in Orlando, was traded to Charlotte in a salary-shedding move by the Magic, then was flipped by Charlotte without playing a game for the Hornets. He ended up in Dallas as part of the three-team trade that sent Anthony Davis to Washington.
The Nuggets were looking for forward depth on the buyout market in recent days, but ball-handling was a key attribute they wanted in a free agent acquisition. They changed course to pursue Jones on Monday after they were unable to land Kyle Anderson or Khris Middleton — another Maverick who chose not to have his contract bought out.