Magic Get Grade For Tyus Jones Trade to Hornets

Orlando is sending its veteran point guard to Charlotte in a salary dump ahead of the deadline.

Orlando Magic guard Tyus Jones drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors. | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Tyus Jones era for the Orlando Magic is officially over after the team traded him and two second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets for cash considerations.

The move gets the Magic under the tax, which was the primary goal of the trade. It also opens up the backup point guard role in the rotation, which has been an area of weakness for the Magic this season. Overall, the Magic are earning a "B" for their end of the trade.

Orlando Magic guard Tyus Jones looks on before a game against the Washington Wizards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Magic Get 'B' For Tyus Jones Trade

The Magic came into the deadline with the primary goal of getting under the tax and this move does that for them. Jones' $7 million salary comes off the books and opens a roster spot as the Magic are now sitting at just 13 players on the active roster.

The Magic have two weeks to fill Jones' spot on the roster, but that could come as early as possible with more time before the 3 p.m. ET deadline. The Magic could make a trade for another player to join the roster, but with limited flexibility, it remains to be seen what the team will do.

Goga Bitadze is someone that has been floating in rumors leading up to the deadline and he could possibly be dealt to allow the team to acquire a point guard and add more balance to the roster. However, the team already has a point guard waiting in the wings in rookie Jase Richardson.

Richardson, the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, has shown flashes of potential to start the season with the Magic. He has provided a spark off the bench while averaging 5.3 points per game so far this season.

Richardson has made 35 appearances in 49 games for the Magic this season, averaging just under 12 minutes per contest. With Jones seeing the court more frequently at around 16 minutes per game, Richardson is the natural player to step into this role. The hope is that this can improve things for the Magic in the long run.

While some external upgrades are needed for the Magic, they are limited with their arsenal of assets they can move in a trade. They sent four first-round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Desmond Bane over the summer and have a number of players making over $100 million on their respective contracts, so their moves are marginal at this point, but this could be one that gets them closer to where they want to be.