Minnesota Timberwolves: Top free agents to consider
By Ethan Becker
5. Logan’s pick: Derrick Jones Jr. (MIA, UFA)
Minnesota’s biggest needs are defense, rebounding, and a good roll man; all of which come from a forward rather than a center. This could come in the form of the young Miami Heat forward, Derrick Jones Jr.
The Timberwolves have already had success with a different former Miami Heat forward in James Johnson and it’d likely be the case with Jones. The only thing that could be stopping them is that Miami has bird rights, is in a better position than Minnesota, and could offer a role that Jones is comfortable in, with more money. If there’s a chance that Miami doesn’t bring him back though, there’ll be plenty of teams waiting with the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception to try to bring him on board too.
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EB: We’re two-for-two here for former Suns players. Jones Jr. is an obvious talent; his defense is awesome, he can jump out of the building, and he continues to improve with each season. The few holding points for me here are his fit, as moving him to the bench might dissuade him from joining but moving Okogie back to the bench might upset him, and his offense. More aptly, his 3-point shooting. The Timberwolves are moving more and more towards being a volume 3-point shooting team, and having another forward who struggles from 3 might not be the best move. Still, Jones is certainly worth looking into.