Okay, the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled the trigger, investing another significant salary into their frontcourt. But this was not just anyone who was extended. This was a new contract for backup center Naz Reid, a young center and forward who never heard his name called during an NBA Draft.
The Minnesota Timberwolves made the first move, taking a low-risk gesture to Naz Reid with a Two-Way contract in July 2019. But that didn’t last and by the time that two weeks had passed, the team voided the Two-Way contract and signed Reid to a multi-year deal later that month.
The rest is, well . . . history. Naz Reid has been a consistent and ever-improving player on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster, a young player who has benefited from his court production as much as his fearless mindset. And best of all, the versatility and hard work finally paid off, and Naz Reid signed to a well-paying second NBA contract.
Timberwolves center Naz Reid has agreed on a new three-year, $42 million deal with a player option, his agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Undrafted out of LSU, Reid had his best season with 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. pic.twitter.com/YtBjdggxMa
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 25, 2023
So why did the very calculating Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly pull the trigger on this deal?
Connelly came through, now the rest is up to Naz Reid
He has his reasons, and many of those reasons we can deduce and share with you today. But let’s get the first-hand thoughts of one of the Minnesota Timberwolves owners Glen Taylor on the topic
Nice to see Naz Reid back w/ #Timberwolves coming off being off the grid. Here's what owner Glen Taylor told me 5 weeks ago on Naz. Glen had a lot to do w/ deal getting across the finish line. I'll admit that I thought Naz would at least test UFA being this close to Fri. night. pic.twitter.com/fcqvLuAcQz
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) June 26, 2023
And so, the Minnesota Timberwolves have extended their very own center, Naz Reid. But with a frontcourt that already appeared to be stacked, was it the smart play? After all, the Minnesota Timberwolves have other roster needs that seem, on the surface, to be equally in need of additional players.
What is it about Naz Reid that makes him worthy of a huge new contract? We stopped at seven reasons, but there are more: