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Why the Minnesota Timberwolves should go after Tyreke Evans

By Justin Curran

Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to need a difference-making point guard if they want to make a playoff run this year. Tyreke Evans is that player.

I think it’s been clear that Jeff Teague isn’t cutting it.  So what should the Minnesota Timberwolves do? Tyus Jones doesn’t seem like he’s going to be anything more than a role player.

Aaron Brooks and Jamal Crawford are really the only other two guys on the roster with experience bringing the ball up, but if you’re expecting either of them to make an impact this late in their careers, you’d be kidding yourself.

With not a lot of viable options on the roster, the Wolves should go after Tyreke Evans. He isn’t exactly a stereotypical point guard either, but just look at his numbers. This year he’s averaging 19.5 points per game, while grabbing 5.0 rebounds and dishing out 5.0 assists per game as well.

This goes along with his 45.8 field goal percentage. He’s shooting 39.2 percent from deep, and according to his Basketball-Reference, he has 4.5 win shares already this year.

Granted, the Memphis Grizzlies are awful. However, those numbers would be impressive on any team in the league.

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    • If it feels like Evans has been in the league for a while now, it’s because he has. Even though he’s been in the league for eight seasons, the man is only 28 years old. While there might be a good amount of miles on the odometer, he’s in the prime of his career right now.

    The question is, what are the Timberwolves going to have to give up in order to get him?

    Well, it might require a good amount of resources to get Evans. He’s currently on a one-year, $3.3 million deal. If you’re a team like the Grizzlies, you’re looking for one thing: draft picks.

    While you may be able to lessen the draft pick blow by putting Jeff Teague in the deal, his deal is worth too much to work financially, and Evans is worth a first round pick for a team that would have no interest in Teague anyway. To balance salaries, it’d have to be someone like Nemanja Bjelica or rookie Justin Patton.

    So let’s just say the Timberwolves get Evans, how would he fit in? Like I said before, are you getting a Ricky Rubio-like point guard in Tyreke Evans? No, and I think the fans should be happy about that.

    Evans isn’t a ball-dominant guard like you see a lot in today’s game.  He’s an extremely efficient player, currently having a Player Efficiency Rating of 21.8.

    Since he’s on the Grizzlies, he attempts 15.6 field goals per game. If he came to Minnesota, that would presumably change, given that you have guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler who need the ball.

    Just think for a second though about that starting lineup: Evans, Butler, Andrew Wiggins, Taj Gibson and Towns. That’d be a force to be wrecked with.

    Is it the same star power teams like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers or Houston Rockets have? No, but I’d say it’s in the general vicinity of those teams.

    Next: 2017-18 Week 16 NBA Power Rankings

    With an experienced playoff coach like Tom Thibodeau and that starting lineup, the Timberwolves become serious contenders.

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