Dunking With Wolves
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5 players the Timberwolves should sign in free agency

By Andrew Neururer

Apr 11, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; The Minnesota Timberwolves reveal their new logo in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; The Minnesota Timberwolves reveal their new logo in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 5, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward PJ Tucker (2) reacts after a call during game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
May 5, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward PJ Tucker (2) reacts after a call during game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

P.J. Tucker

The great thing about Tucker is that he won’t cost that much. Your’e probably looking at a guy who will attract anywhere between $5 to 10 million, depending on where he signs.

But it’s not just about the money as we saw what the Wolves did with their value contracts a year ago. If the Wolves were to sign Tucker, he wouldn’t be like Jordan Hill and Brandon Rush, sitting on the bench all season, but he would be a major impact player in the rotation.

While his stats and age don’t pop out at you, he will help the team a lot. At the age of 32, he tallied 6.7 points, 1.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game with a 35.7 percent mark from beyond the arc. The Wolves don’t need a player that will go out and score 15+ a night if they already have Butler, Wiggins and KAT.

He understands the game, he knows his role, he’s a veteran player, he can shoot the ball, and did I mention he can play defense as well? Tucker has a career average of 1.2 steals a game.

It’s important that he can shoot from deep and play solid defense at multiple positions for a modest price.

Per Game Table
Season Age Tm Lg Pos G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% 2P 2PA 2P% eFG% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2016-17 31 TOT NBA SF 81 21 27.6 2.5 6.0 .413 0.9 2.4 .357 1.6 3.5 .451 .485 0.9 1.1 .774 1.4 4.4 5.8 1.2 1.4 0.2 0.8 2.4 6.7
2016-17 31 PHO NBA SF 57 17 28.5 2.6 6.2 .415 0.8 2.4 .338 1.8 3.8 .463 .480 1.1 1.4 .792 1.6 4.4 6.0 1.3 1.5 0.2 0.9 2.5 7.0
2016-17 31 TOR NBA SF 24 4 25.4 2.2 5.3 .406 1.0 2.5 .400 1.2 2.8 .412 .500 0.5 0.7 .688 1.0 4.4 5.4 1.1 1.3 0.2 0.6 2.2 5.8

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/24/2017.

If the above table doesn’t convince you, remember that the Wolves have been interest in Tucker since before February’s trade deadline.

As Minnesota has had an eye on him for quite some time, look for the Wolves take a run at Tucker in free agency.