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Minnesota Timberwolves sign and trade of Naz Reid may be wisest strategy

ByBret Stuter|
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 13: Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on against the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter of the game at Target Center on January 13, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 121-116. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 13: Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on against the Phoenix Suns in the first quarter of the game at Target Center on January 13, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Suns 121-116. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Okay, so let’s get everyone up to speed. The Minnesota Timberwolves may not be making headlines right now, but there is plenty of NBA news happening in the NBA Western Conference right now. For starters, the Phoenix Suns managed to pry All-Star guard Bradley Beal from the clutches of the Washington Wizards. That has wiped out the possibility of any trade scenarios that involved the Timberwolves acquiring Bradley Beal for themselves.

But there are plenty more NBA rumors heating up in speculative form over the fallout of this trade and how that may impact the Minnesota Timberwolves. So let’s get right to it. The Phoenix Suns must now be considered a front-runner to acquire Timberwolves backup center, Naz Reid. How can that be when they have no money to spend? Let’s reverse-engineer how that will likely transpire. We know that after the Beal Trade, the Suns’ roster is saturated with payroll expenses:

But there is no bench depth whatsoever as well. The Phoenix Suns, as a result, will likely work their best trade package to get Deandre Ayton off the books. That would clear a very expensive Ayton off their roster, but create a huge hole in the Suns’ rotation for an NBA-ready center.

So trading away Ayton earns the Suns some cap space and some assets.  So who will the Suns pivot to in order to fill that need? We already know from a previous article on the topic that the Phoenix Suns have a bonafide interest in Minnesota Timberwolves backup center Naz Reid and attempted to acquire him at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline, unsuccessfully.

The Phoenix Suns have no better option at center than Naz Reid right now

Now that casual interest is surely more of a true gotta-do need. The best strategy for the Minnesota Timberwolves in my honest opinion is to negotiate a sign-and-trade of Reid to the Suns. Why would Reid do so? Well, he would be foolish not to try to preserve his Bird rights, and the only way to transfer those rights is to be traded.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have plenty of incentive to adopt this strategy. If the Suns negotiate a trade, then the Timberwolves get something. If the Suns balk and say no deal, then the Timberwolves have cleverly not helped a rival team in the NBA Western Conference improve.

The Suns have painted themselves into a very tight fiscal corner. The Timberwolves can offer them a solid way out of their monetary mayhem, at a premium price, of course.