4 teams that could steal Naz Reid from the Timberwolves

Stuck on the Minnesota Timberwolves depth chart behind PF/C Karl-Anthony Towns and starting C Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves backup center Naz Reid started the season by only playing inconsistent minutes. In the wake of injuries to Minnesota’s twin towers, however, he quickly blossomed into one of the team’s few bright spots. It quickly became apparent that Reid was a good fit with Anthony Edwards’s style- and age-wise, making fans wonder if trading for Gobert was a waste when they had Reid sitting on the bench, waiting for a chance this whole time.

Nevertheless, the Timberwolves are committed to their pricey twin tower experiment while Reid has played his way out of the role of the third big into a role that Minnesota might not be able to offer him. Since he went undrafted in 2019, Reid was a steal in regard to salary but retaining him in free agency might cost more than the Timberwolves can pay. They are already paying their starting frontcourt handsomely, and youngsters Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are both up for extensions as well.

Reid is only 23 years old and has a great upside. He has speed, handles, and shooting that set him apart from other centers in the league. As a result, numerous teams already inquired about him at the trade deadline. After all, who wouldn’t want a center who shot 53.7 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three? Reid will have plenty of suitors outside of Minnesota as an unrestricted free agent, and some of them might be able to offer him a bigger role. So, let’s look at four teams that could steal Reid from the Timberwolves this summer.

4. San Antonio Spurs

Like many other teams, the Spurs are hoping to win the draft lottery and add Victor Wembanyama to their rebuild. If they do not win the lottery, they have to get a new center somewhere else, though, because they sent Jakob Poeltl to the Toronto Raptors. The Spurs have plenty of cap space and could thus go after one of the bigger names potentially hitting free agency, like Kristaps Porzingis or Brook Lopez for example. Reid, on the other hand, is much younger than most other free-agent centers out there and would fit the Spurs’ timeline better now as well as potentially in the long term.

San Antonio is a place where Reid could get plenty of opportunities to experiment with his game and expand his skill set. The Spurs could even offer Reid a starting spot if they don’t land Wembanyama. Reid averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in only 18.4 minutes per game last season. In the 11 that he started, the Timberwolves were 7-4. Now imagine what he could do if he wasn’t stuck behind Towns and Gobert in the rotation.

This move could easily be a win-win for both parties. It would give the Spurs a talented, young, center either as a consolation prize or even as a backup to Wembanyama and Reid the option to play a bigger role and explore his potential.