Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 wings for the Wolves to sign in free agency

Wings for the Minnesota Timberwolves to sign in NBA free agency: No. 1

1. Derrick Jones Jr.

One player that could be a good fit for the Wolves is Derrick Jones Jr.

Last season’s dunk contest winner would bring some much-needed defense to a team that gave up an average of 117.5 points per game.

Our own Logan Alten expressed the same idea earlier this year, shortly after the dunk contest.

"He is an athletic, strong, and dynamic player who could fill a lot of holes on the Wolves starting with defense. The Wolves have struggled in the past two games with strong, bigger forwards like OG Anuoby and Miles Bridges. Jones could help fix some of that."

Logan makes a good point when he says that Jones is a dynamic player. He has the size to guard taller players, but he is quick enough to keep up with smaller players.

What he is known for more however is his explosive ability to get to the hoop. The team doesn’t necessarily have a player that can get to the hoop the same way Jones can. You could make an argument for a few players, but Jones would likely give Minnesota the most explosive player they have had since Zach LaVine.

It is safe to say Miami won’t sign him even though there is always that possibility. The problem is, there will be other teams that might want to pursue the young small forward.

Jones may be asking for a higher salary for this upcoming season after only making just $1.5 million last year. Then again, he moved to the fringes of Miami’s playoff rotation after the Heat shored up their roster with midseason acquisitions.

Acquiring Jones would be similar to the Wolves’ acquisition of Jake Layman last offseason: betting on a fringe rotation player to shine when given a larger opportunity.