3 Teams That Should Trade for P.J. Tucker
Minnesota Timberwolves
With Zach LaVine now out for the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves now need to fill a void at the shooting guard position.
Brandon Rush has gotten the last two starts at shooting guard for the Timberwolves, but he has offered very minimal production in those minutes. Shabazz Muhammad has picked up a bit of scoring production of the bench, but neither Rush or Shabazz are known as great defenders.
Acquiring Tucker and inserting him next to Andrew Wiggins on the wing would give head coach Tom Thibodeau the perimeter defender that he loves. Tucker would allow the Wolves to be versatile, with Tucker guarding the opponent's best scoring threat while allowing Wiggins to conserve some extra energy for the offensive end.
Tucker can likely provide a boost in value relative to Rush when looking at their three-point shooting and defense.
| Statistical Category | Brandon Rush | P.J. Tucker |
|---|---|---|
| Three-Point Percentage | .441 | .339 |
| Effective Field Goal Percentage | .518 | .486 |
| Defensive Rating | 113 | 111 |
| Defensive Box Plus/Minus | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| Defensive Win Shares | 0.2 | 1.2 |
While Tucker is not quite the three-point shooter that Rush is, Tucker would improve the Wolves' defense, which is currently ranked 24th in defensive rating and 25th in opponent effective field goal percentage.
The Wolves have shown a bit of interest in Tucker recently, offering Shabazz Muhammad in exchange for the defending wing.
