Following their Game 5 defeat to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves entered one of their most pivotal offseasons in franchise history. With discussions surrounding whether or not the Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert pairing could ever work, both from a basketball and financial standpoint, questions about the future of Minnesota’s third center loomed.
Naz Reid was just weeks away from entering unrestricted free agency this summer, and many teams were reportedly interested in the versatile 6’9” big. Dating back to last offseason following the blockbuster Gobert trade, many people didn’t expect the Wolves to bring Reid back this summer. With KAT and Rudy set to make a combined $96 million next season, Minnesota couldn’t provide Reid the amount of money and opportunity that he was expected to garner this July.
So when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Reid had agreed on a new three-year, $42 million deal, the Timberwolves Twitter erupted with only two words: Naz Reid.
For a team already beneath the clouds of controversy due to the recent “Trade KAT” discourse, losing Naz this summer would’ve been detrimental for Minnesota’s morale. Coming off of his best season in which he averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds, Reid provides the Wolves an ideal combination of scoring and size off the bench. And with Towns and Gobert having missed time due to injury in each their last two seasons, Reid presents head coach Chris Finch with the perfect injury protection plan moving forward.
Re-signing Naz also offers fans the chance to actually see what last season’s team could have done in the postseason, had everyone been healthy. Led by their rising star Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves had arguably given the Nuggets their toughest series en route to becoming this season’s NBA Final victors. And they did so without two of their key rotation pieces: Jaden McDaniels and Mr. Nazreon Hilton Reid himself, who suffered a broken wrist injury late in the regular season.
On a personal note, I couldn’t be happier that Naz is here to stay. As a Louisiana native and diehard LSU sports fan, I was ecstatic when Reid announced he committed to the Tigers in 2018. Having spent hours watching the then-viral “Jelly Fam” on social media, “Big Jelly” bringing his talents to Baton Rouge felt surreal. (Let’s not talk about the Will Wade incident please). Following Naz’s time playing for the purple and gold, I was in disbelief when I received the Twitter notification that he was signing with my favorite NBA team as an undrafted free agent. And while most undrafted free agents don’t make it in the league, Naz did what so many others haven’t been able to — show that he belongs.
Retaining Naz should signal change for the Timberwolves organization. Not many, if any, players in Reid’s situation would opt to re-sign with a team that could only offer a fraction of what others could. But he did. He chose to take less money and a lesser role on a team that was once a laughing stock of the league — all because he feels at home in the city, alongside his teammates, and in front of the fans.
With Naz Reid on his second standard NBA contract, the Minnesota Timberwolves are set to enter a make-or-break season. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert still need to showcase that they can coincide with one another. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels still have a lot of growing to do if they ever want to reach their full potential. But with so much uncertainty still surrounding the team, two things are certain: Naz Reid is back, and so are the Wolves.
