NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Minnesota Timberwolves

2. Wayne Ellington

The prodigal son returns to Minnesota. Wayne Ellington began his career with the Timberwolves before bouncing around the league for the past few seasons. Ellington has found a home in Miami though, where he became a legit rotation piece on a solid playoff team. With Jamal Crawford declining his player option and entering unrestricted free agency, Ellington could step in as an ideal replacement. He’s far younger and is a much better shooter than Crawford.

While he entered the league as a knockdown shooter, the former Tarheel became a much more deadly outside threat in Miami. Ellington upped his 3-point attempt volume while hovering just below the 40 percent shooting threshold. He’s a player that has legit gravity on the floor. Few players in the NBA attempted tougher long-range shots than Ellington last year and ever fewer made them at an efficient rate. This guy just doesn’t care if a defender contests his shot. He’s that confident.

Adding Ellington to this Minnesota roster could really juice up the team’s offense. He could provide breathing room for either Butler or Wiggins when one of that pairing sits, opening up driving lanes and allowing them to besiege the rim. Ellington will likely come with a heftier price tag than any of the Bjelica, Tolliver, Ilyasova trio. He can probably make more than the taxpayer-MLE, which would likely put him outside of Minnesota’s price range. The Wolves will have to carefully monitor his market, but if they can snag him he would be a great signing.