Just hours after the team dealt Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz on the evening of June 30, now-former Indiana Pacers point guard Jeff Teague has agreed to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves to serve as Rubio’s replacement.
Free agent Jeff Teague has agreed to a 3-year, $57M deal with Minnesota, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/fgvUnhATgH
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2017
Teague reached unrestricted free agency at the age of 29 after a 2016-2017 season in which 15.3 points and a career-best 7.8 assists per game while shooting 36 percent from three-point distance. There is some concern that Teague, given his relatively small stature, will not age overly well but some of that risk is mitigated by a three-year pact instead of a maximum four-year deal.
Told the third year is a player option with Teague, per source. https://t.co/cbIM9Ig29L
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) July 1, 2017
In terms of fit, Teague is a much smoother addition to the fold than Rubio would have been alongside Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins. While Teague is not the same level of passer and defender that Rubio is, the veteran point guard has converted 38 percent of his three-point attempts over a two-year period and will provide more floor spacing to a team that desperately needs it as currently constructed.
The jury is out as to whether the Wolves are improving, in a vacuum, by going from Ricky Rubio to Jeff Teague. With that said, the roster makes more sense now than it did 12 hours ago and Minnesota picked up a first-round draft pick for its trouble.
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