The 2024-25 season is over for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and they already find themselves confronted with some major issues that will determine the future direction of this team. Roster building will be a challenge for this squad considering the finances associated with that task. And when it pertains to Naz Reid, the Wolves must be prepared to give him whatever it takes to make him stay in the Twin Cities.
Of course, as has been the case for years, the Wolves' rotation of big men is extremely deep. Julius Randle essentially replaced Karl-Anthony Towns at the start of the season, and then you've got Rudy Gobert and Reid as well.
As it currently stands, Randle will have a player option for next season worth roughly $30 million. With Gobert, he'll be entering into the first season of a three-year extension worth $109.5 million. Reid's player option for next season is worth around $15 million, but he likely could be earning more than that on the open market.
Minnesota has to pay Naz Reid
And so, that's essentially the catch here. What the Timberwolves are going to be forced to do is pay Reid what he is owed if they want to remain at the level of a contender in the Western Conference. Naz is going to likely go out and listen to offers from other teams, but if you're Minnesota, you simply have to outbid all of them.
That's what this comes down to. Not only is Reid a fan favorite, but he remains a valuable member of this core of players. He's no doubt going to be very sought after from teams around the league that want to offer him a starting spot. And we all know that Naz is a starting-caliber player.
He made this very clear when asked if he views himself as a starter at the team's exit interviews on Thursday. "Yes, 100 percent," Reid said. "100 percent. But sometimes, if you want to be in a winning position, sometimes you might have to sacrifice. I definitely view myself as a starter."
The bottom line is that the Timberwolves do have to make some sort of upgrade to continue to elevate and get to the level of the Oklahoma City Thunder. It's their only hope of actually winning a championship. But in doing that, they don't have the luxury of being able to be cheap. Tim Connelly and the front office is going to have to pay Naz Reid.