When the Orlando Magic came to the AdventHealth Training Center on a dreary Thursday morning, they likely felt the same way it looked outside.
There was a cloud over the day anyway with the trade deadline on the horizon. But it had already hit the team's locker room.
It may have been inevitable with the Magic hanging above the luxury tax line to deal Tyus Jones to the Charlotte Hornets for cash considerations (the Hornets would reroute him to the Dallas Mavericks for Malakhi Branham later in the day Thursday), but that does not change that there is an empty locker and an empty space.
Whatever his struggles might have been and how much he struggled on the court, he was still an important presence off of it. One that the Magic will find it tough to replace.
If the Magic are in a bit of mourning, it is understandable.
"Days like today suck. I don't think there is any other way to put it," coach Jamahl Mosley said after shootaround Thursday morning. "You talk about the young man that Tyus is and what he has done for us. More than the court is what he was for our locker room and our young guys, and his voice and helping young guys learn to mature and be pros in this business. These days are very tough. The energy in this building is exactly what it should be: it is not happy about losing a guy who this young man is."
The Magic made no other moves at the trade deadline. And dealing Jones was about finances more than anything else. Still, there is a gap that is left. Jones meant a lot to a lot of players on the team.
A steady veteran is gone
Tyus Jones was one of the older players on the team at 29 years old. He brought a wealth of experience and poise to the team. Something that was valued throughout the roster.
That was especially for the younger players.
Tyus Jones was in the training center for much of the offseason, working with Anthony Black in God Shammgod's finishing school. He was a constant voice with the guards.
But also with the rookies.
Noah Penda said Tyus Jones was constantly with him through the offseason as he prepared for his rookie season. He was an invaluable resource to him and the other younger players on the team.
"It's really tough. Tyus was the guy who took care of me since I arrived here," Penda said after shootaround Thursday. "Obviously, it is a tough business. But like in any other business, there is no space for emotion. It is tough to see a guy like that go away. But that's part of it."
That is something Jones imparted a lot to the young Penda. How to control his emotions and stay even-keeled. That was something that always stood out about Jones throughout his career and throughout his time with the Magic.
Jones was someone who could quickly move on to the next play and the next game.
The Magic will need that resilience. Because while there is the trade aspect that makes sense, there is a human aspect too. This was a teammate and someone a lot of players leaned on for advice and a steady hand.
It was easy to feel the emptiness without him.
"He was a steady rock whether he was playing well, not playing well. He was somebody you could always talk to and lean on and crack a joke with," Desmond Bane said after shootaround Thursday. "A family man and about the right things. He's our guy for sure."
The playing reality
But there is the other reality too. Tyus Jones was not producing at the level he was accustomed to in his career. He was having a career-worst season.
The Orlando Magic were more focused on getting under the luxury tax line and saving that money than anything else. But Jones was having a career-worst season, averaging just 3.0 points per game and shooting 29.4 percent from three.
He might have had a stabilizing effect, but without production on offense and considering his defensive weaknesses, it was hard to justify keeping him. And with the team struggling to stay above .500 and in the race to avoid the Play-In Tournament, the Magic could not afford to keep him.
Orlando lost a key player for its locker room. But it was a necessary move for the books and to avoid starting the team's repeater tax clock as it gets more expensive.
Moving forward
The logic of this move certainly made sense to observers of the team. It does not make it any easier to say goodbye to a teammate.
"It's never easy. Tyus meant a lot to everybody here in the organization," Desmond Bane said after shootaround Thursday. "An A+ human being first and foremost. We're going to miss him. A lot of guys are saying it doesn't feel the same in here today. That's the kind of impact a guy like that has. He built so many relationships with players and staff. He was a big part of what we've done and who we are. Definitely one of the tougher days."
But that is the business. That is life in the NBA and everyone signed up for it.
There is a critical game on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets to open a four-game homestand heading into the All-Star Break. That four-game stretch represents the last time the Magic will play teams with losing records in consecutive games until an April road trip to Dallas and New Orleans.
The Magic do not have time to wallow in their lost teammate. There is still a lot of work to do.
"I think coach hit it on the head. It's supposed to feel heavy, it's supposed to feel tough," Desmond Bane said after shootaround Thursday. "But we still have a job to do tonight. We have to turn the page and try to get a win. I expect it to be heavy in here, and it probably will be for a little bit. It's never easy to move on, especially from a guy like that. Hopefully, we come out, come together and get a win tonight."
Ultimately that is what the Magic are trying to do.
This is their team and this is who they will play with moving forward. They will have to find a way to fill in and keep moving forward. Thursday was certainly a different kind of day without a good teammate around.