On a mission to improve team defense, the Timberwolves reportedly offered Shabazz Muhammad to the Phoenix Suns for P.J. Tucker, according to Basketball Insiders. It’s the only report suggesting Muhammad for Tucker was offered, so take it with a grain a salt as we’re now less than three weeks from the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
It makes sense in the fact that Tucker is considered a solid defender and has an expiring contract that a lot of teams find attractive. USA Today Sports called Tucker one of the most underrated players in the NBA.
Muhammad has been Minnesota’s most consistent scoring option off the bench this season. In his last 19 games he’s averaged 11.3 points while shooting 57.4 percent on 3-pointers (27-47), which ranks No. 1 in the NBA among players who have attempted 40+ threes since Dec. 26.
Tucker comes off the bench in Phoenix and that would likely be the case in Minnesota unless head coach Tom Thibodeau decided to go with a defensive lineup by inserting Tucker at small forward while moving Andrew Wiggins to shooting guard and Zach LaVine into a sixth man role.
