3 Timberwolves that earned untouchable status, 3 who could be cut loose

These 3 Timberwolves are untouchable

Whether a player is in need of an extension, a regular season contract, or simply needs to get a fair market offer, there are a number of players whose 2022-23 NBA season performance warrants returning to the Minnesota Timberwolves for another season.

Untouchable III: C Luka Garza

The signing of center Luka Garza to one of two Two-Way Contracts was one of the under-the-radar highlights of the Minnesota Timberwolves 2022-23 NBA Season. Garza has an infectious smile, an on-the-court swagger, and the ability to best expectations that continue to rise whenever he steps onto the basketball court.

He is a technician, a savant, and a meticulous detail-oriented young man whose willingness to focus on the smallest of details ensures that the big picture will be taken care of. Standing 6-foot-11 and weighing 235 pounds, he has shown the ability to score points, work the boards, and even set up on the horizon and salvo the basket from long range.  If the Minnesota Timberwolves want to develop a space-oriented big to develop with Anthony Edwards, then Luka Garza makes a compelling case.

Untouchable II:  C Naz Reid

While there are a number of superb frontcourt players on the Timberwolves, none have made a more compelling case for a larger role than Minnesota Timberwolves backup center Naz Reid. While he is reportedly looking for a starting role for the 2023-24 NBA season (and the huge bump in salary that comes with that promotion), the Timberwolves are quite confident that they can extend him.

The absence of Reid from the 2023 NBA Playoffs was one of the oft-overlooked handicaps that the Timberwolves roster faced in their Round 1 competition against the Denver Nuggets. While it is impossible to directly assess what that meant in terms of the team’s chances, it is clear that even a five-ten minute rotation off the bench for Reid per game would have helped the Timberwolves bench match up against the Nuggets better, helped both their center Rudy Gobert and their power forward Karl Anthony Towns stay out of foul trouble, and been a big help not only to the Timberwolves ability to score but also to get rebounds.

Yes, the team has Josh Minott and Luka Garza to develop as well. But Naz Reid is at the cusp of becoming a very good NBA center. That makes him worth keeping on the Timberwolves roster.

Untouchable I: SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker

When a player starts in the NBA Playoffs for a team having just played 23 games during the regular season, it’s a safe bet that player is somebody special. Nickeil Alexander-Walker may be just a four-season NBA veteran, but I certainly hope that he has found a home with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

With the absence of defensive specialist SF Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves found themselves in a situation where the team was forced to promote Alexander-Walker to start in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, and he most certainly did the trick. Even with limited experience with the team, NAW was able to harass Nuggets scorers and was even able to sink a few shots of his own.

While he was not perfect, he was better than the brochure. And as he is just entering his fifth NBA season, it makes a great deal of sense to lock him up on a modest multi-year deal to see just how good he becomes in the near future.