Former Duke point guard and 2015 national champion Tyus Jones is on the move again, as the Orlando Magic have traded the former Blue Devil to the Charlotte Hornets in a deal described as cost saving move for the team ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
According to multiple reports, Orlando is sending Jones and two second-round picks to Charlotte for cash considerations, a structure designed to help the Magic avoid the luxury tax. Following the new breaking, subsequent reports specified the draft compensation as the least favorable of Boston or Orlando’s 2027 second round picks, plus Orlando’s 2028 second round pick.
Jones joined Orlando last summer on a one year deal, but his role never stabilized for the team in the rotation. He started eight games for the Magic this season and averaged 3.0 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Overall he papered in 48 games this season, but with salary cap considerations looming, Orlando elected to part ways.
From the Duke perspective, Jones will always be remember as the point guard who brought former head coach Mike Krzyzewski his fifth and final national title. During the 2014-15 season, Jones started all 39 games for the national champions, averaging 11.8 points, 5.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He was solid throughout the season, but his legacy was cemented in the last two games of the year in which he earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor. Along the way he set freshman record 2.86:1 assist-to-turnover ratio for the Blue Devils who went 35-4 that year.
Jones now joins a Charlotte roster that already features Duke products Sion James and rookie guard Kon Knueppel, giving the Hornets an unusually Duke heavy backcourt mix. It’s part of a backcourt remake in the Queen City after the Hornets added guards Coby White and Mike Conley Jr. in a multiteam sequence that also sent center Mason Plumlee out.
The Hornets also waived veteran Pat Connaughton to create roster space after the Jones acquisition was finalized.
Ever since he departed Durham after that storybook freshman season, Jones has been a valuable rotation piece in the league. He has appeared in 682 regular-season games (218 starts) across stops including Minnesota, Memphis, Washington and Phoenix, and he led the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio for six consecutive seasons from 2018-24.
Jones wasn’t the only Duke name tied to Wednesday’s trade activity. NBA.com’s running deadline report listed Marvin Bagley III as part of the return in the reported Anthony Davis blockbuster involving Dallas and Washington. In another notable Duke-related deal, Oklahoma City acquired former Duke guard Jared McCain from Philadelphia for a 2026 first-round pick and three future second-round picks.