5 players the Timberwolves should sign in free agency

The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to be looking to take a big swing this off-season, and there are at least five players that could fit the mold nicely.

After making a huge trade on draft night and acquiring All-Star Jimmy Butler, the Minnesota Timberwolves greatly upgraded their defense and veteran leadership. However, the team still needs more defense, three-point shooting, and depth across the board.

With free agency looming, it’s time to look at five players the Timberwolves should look into signing. Free agency will begin on July 1st, and the team has a bunch of players on their radar.

After completing the trade with the Chicago Bulls, the Timberwolves are looking at around $18-20 million in cap space this off-season. They started with around $30 million prior to the Butler trade after waiving Nikola Pekovic. With quite a bit of money still left; look for the team to make some moves.

It’s been reported that they have been looking at quite the list of point guards. As it’s been reported, they are looking at Derrick Rose (shocker), Jeff Teague, Jrue Holiday, and George Hill.

Each one will cost a lot of money, and they wouldn’t all fit the mold of the team as they would take away shots from the likes of Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Unless, of course, they can find a nice two-way player that can shoot well and play good defense.

Either way it should be exciting to see what the Timberwolves decide to do during free agency. We know they will be making headlines, as just minutes after the Jimmy Butler trade occurred we heard from Jeff Zillgitt from the USA Today:

It’s no surprise that the Wolves are still looking to trade Rubio. The Wolves may be looking to trade him for veterans, meaning that they would aim for a point guard in free agency.

Here are five players the Timberwolves should target in free agency.

C.J. Miles

The Timberwolves will be looking to add some veteran leaders this off-season — and especially from a player who can help them by shooting threes. Minnesota shot the lowest number of threes in the entire league, only attempting 21 a game and making only about seven of those.

The team desperately needs three-point shooting. Especially with Zach LaVine now in Chicago, the Wolves desperately need help now. Jimmy Butler isn’t the best three-point shooter, but can definitely put in his share a night.

CJ.J.Miles will be able to help you out in that department quickly. In this chart from Basketball Reference, you can clearly see he will be a great addition specifically for that reason. He shot 41 percent from deep, averaging about 5 attempts a game. Over his career he averaged 36% as well.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table

The Wolves just need a player that can come off the bench and help the scoring output. Plugging him in will increase the team’s three-point percentage and the amount taken overall.

Not only will he bring veteran leadership to the Wolves, he will also bring help and understanding on what it takes to be a winner. He’s been to the playoffs seven times in his 12 year career, and while he may never have been the reason they were there, he did understand what goes on and help contribute a bit.

Miles would be a solid addition to the Wolves bench, averaging 10 points a game this season and three rebounds.

He wouldn’t attract a big contract, but he isn’t going to be the cheapest option, either. The Timberwolves should take a long look at Miles as he will bring three-point shooting and veteran leadership for the younger guys.

J.J. Redick

The reason J.J. Redick doesn’t climb this list higher is because he will command a lot of money on the open market. And frankly, with his age at 32 going on 33, the Wolves shouldn’t offer him a lot of money or for very long.

Though he was productive this season, averaging 15 points a game on a tremendous 42.9 percent from long-range, his 3-point shooting took a slight dip, but at 42% he still is very valuable.

There is no doubt that he is one of the better shooters in the league, but can the Wolves really afford him? More then likely, he will be looking to get $14 million or more. Wiggins, KAT, and Butler will be taking up a lot of cap space, and the Wolves need to be smart with how they spend.

In the playoffs this past season, you can see from this video that Redick knows what it takes to win, play in the playoffs, score buckets, and shoot from anywhere.

He would be a great addition to the team, increasing the team’s ability to shoot threes. But the money is what really hurts his chances landing in Minnesota. If the Wolves can find a way to sign him for a reasonable contract, Redick would be a great addition to the team.

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.

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.

Paul Millsap

Hands down, Paul Millsap would be the best addition to the team in the off-season. He’s a four-time All-Star, a good defender, and can do everything you need him too. That’s what a top-tier player will do for you.

The only issue is… he won’t come cheap.

The $205 million max doesn’t seem likely for any team, but he might be attracting at least $20-25 million a year. That leaves the Wolves with no option to sign him most likely – if they have only around $20 million left in cap space.

If they were able to sign him, then it would be a great addition. I don’t know if he would accept a smaller contract, but it would certainly be very beneficial.

Millsap averaged 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. While those numbers don’t pop out at you like, say, KAT’s numbers from this season, he does so much for your team. Millsap plays good defense and can effect the game in so many ways.

With multiple reports suggesting that Minnesota is interested in Millsap, it’s certainly on the table. Just imagine a lineup of Rubio-Wiggins-Butler-Millsap-Towns. That would wreak havoc on any team in the NBA.

Taj Gipson

Yes, another former Chicago Bull. Tom Thibodeau can’t help but not love his former teammates. After all they did have great success together, and bringing in Taj Gibson would reunite him with former teammate Jimmy Butler and former coach Thibs.

Gibson would be a good addition off the bench, just like he was for the Oklahoma City Thunder at this year’s trade deadline. He would not be stretching the floor as he very seldom shoots it from three, but what he does bring is good effort, veteran leadership, knowledge of the game, defense, and will help the team understand Thibs’ system.

And that is something the Wolves need badly. Not only will Butler be the only one helping the team understand the plays on the court, but Gibson would be as well. Entering his age-31 season, he is easily headed out of his prime from his Chicago days.

He wouldn’t be an expensive contract, either; Gibson should see something like $8-12 million a year.

Gibson averaged almost 10.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game. Over the course of his eight-year career, Gibson has averaged 1.2 blocks per game. He’s a defensive minded big that will help the team out greatly, and at little cost compared to some big free agent names.

According to Basketball RealGM, Gibson posted a defensive rating of 107.9 with the Bulls and a 108.8 with the Thunder this past season. Gibson would be great help on that side of the ball where the Timberwolves struggled greatly.

Next: Timberwolves Made Right Pick With Justin Patton

Overall, Gibson would be a great addition for defensive reasons, but he would also add bench depth. And those are two things that the Timberwolves desperately need.