Kings poach Iowa Wolves G/F PJ Dozier to 2-year deal

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had some exciting players perform on their G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. But one of the problems that remain with the NBA and their G-League teams is the lack of exclusivity. Of the 30 NBA teams, only the Portland Trail Blazers and the Phoenix Suns do not yet have a G-League team. Until that happens, the discussions for exclusivity will likely never get off the ground.

The reason that I bring the topic up is due to the fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves may not ‘own’ most of the rights to players who play for the Iowa Wolves, but I, for one, wish that they did. Despite the part-time presence of Timberwolves players, the Wolves have played to a 6-17 record, currently 13th in the G-League Western Conference, with nine games remaining on their schedule.

One such bright spot on the Iowa Wolves is that of guard/forward P.J. Dozier. Dozier signed two consecutive 10-day contracts with the Sacramento Kings before finally signing a full contract with them less than one week ago.

The Wolves guard/forward is entering his sixth NBA season, starting with his rookie season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-18, then a season with the Boston Celtics, then three seasons with the Denver Nuggets, and finally he has signed this year with the Kings.

In his 24 appearances for the Iowa Wolves and 15 starts, Dozier averaged 17.2 points on 44.8 percent shooting while adding 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Dozier is a 6-foot-6 205-pound combination guard who was growing more and more attractive as an addition to the Minnesota Timberwolves backcourt in the offseason. His versatility to flex between a ball-handling point guard and an off-ball shooting guard seemed to be a solid role to fill for the Timberwolves with the potential loss of SG Austin Rivers or Jaylen Nowell.

Unfortunately, the Kings beat the Timberwolves to the punch. While it is what it is, the matter leaves a sour taste in my mouth.