The Minnesota Timberwolves are close to signing former first-round pick Corey Brewer to a three-year, $15 million contract, ESPN's Marc Steinreports. The move returns Brewer to the franchise where he spent the first three-plus years of his career.
It remains unclear if the Timberwolves will outright sign him or need to clear another player away in a separate transaction, according to Stein. Luke Ridnour, for example, could be traded to Oklahoma City, turning the Timberwolves' new four-year contract with Kevin Martin into a sign and trade, Stein reports.
With the Timberwolves looking to replace Andrei Kirilenko's minutes at small forward, Brewer will presumably help to fill out that role. An athletic, talented defender who thrives when running the floor and scoring in transition, his biggest knock is the inability to consistently hit three-pointers.
That isn't for a lack of effort, either, as Brewer took nearly four three-pointers per game last season despite shooting under 30 percent. In Minnesota, he likely won't have the green light to let 'er rip nearly as often.
With that said, bringing Brewer back to Minnesota makes some sense on a reasonable deal. Playing next to offensive-minded players like Kevin Love, Derrick Williams and rookie Shabazz Muhammad, Brewer's perimeter defense could be a major boost to the team.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2007 draft out of Florida, Brewer never quite panned out in Minnesota. Finally finding his role in the league with the Nuggets, he played in all 82 games for the team last season. Despite coming off the bench, he average 12.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest.
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