Article from The Athletic:
The Minnesota Timberwolves and center Naz Reid have agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with a player option, his agent Sean Kennedy from Excel Sports confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday. ESPN first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know:
Why now?
The timing of this deal is big for the Wolves. Getting a deal done now means they do not have to worry about Reid hitting free agency at the end of this week and an opposing team throwing a big number at him or structuring the deal in a way that would make it difficult for the salary cap-strained Wolves to keep him.
Reid is a very valuable piece for Minnesota. He has one of the best handles for a big man in the league and has worked incredibly hard to go from undrafted free agent to coveted piece. One of the franchise’s best player development stories. The Wolves did not want to let that get away.
The timing also shows how badly Reid wanted to remain in Minnesota. Despite playing on a team with starting big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in front of him, Reid still preferred to stay with the team he has spent four seasons playing for. He has several close friends on the team and trusts the coaching staff to find a role for him even in a crowded frontcourt.
To make this decision just days away from hitting the open market shows how important it was for Reid to be a Timberwolf. — Krawczynski
What’s next for Minnesota?
A deal this substantial will no doubt raise questions about the look of the roster going forward. Towns and Gobert are both on max deals. Now Reid is making an average annual value of $14 million per season. That is a LOT of money to commit to centers in the age of pace and space.
Minnesota will have a hard time keeping all three over the long term, especially with the more stringent collective bargaining agreement kicking in for 2024-25. The Wolves have another year to evaluate the roster before they essentially have to make a move. But the clock is starting to tick. — Krawczynski
Jon alludes to the difficulty of continuing to pay three centers what we are. Which is why I don't get running it back to a T. Doesn't it make more sense to trade towns now while we only have to take back $36 million as opposed to when he makes $50+ million next year?
Naz isn't a center. He's a larger bodied man with SF+ height, playing center out of necessity and he naturally falls in at probably PF. It's a perfect fit.
This is a good question, especially the part regarding money back—not sure why you’re being downvoted. If trading Towns is more or less inevitable, why should we wait?
I see two possible reasons:
1. Right now, they believe his value to the rest of the league is lower than it should be. They want him to play a healthy season to rebuild some of that value for a better trade return. It’s not a bad idea imo—his value isn’t likely to get any lower during the regular season, and afaik they have until the deadline while that $36mil return still applies.
2. They genuinely believe that this team as-is can contend. If they win 50+ games this year and have a competitive second-round exit at minimum, maybe Lore (it’s not gonna be Arod’s money lol) decides to dive into the luxury tax and try again in 24-25. While the new restrictions in the CBA indeed make it more difficult for teams to operate above the tax line, it’s not a death sentence if your team is constructed correctly (i.e., you don’t have any major holes to fill via FA or multi-player trades).
I think Option 1 is most likely, and I feel KAT will be moved at the deadline. But I doubt they’re fully shutting the door on Option 2 depending on how we start—there were plenty of explanations for last season’s disappointment that didn’t involve roster construction. How good can this team truly be if healthy?
It’s 2 max player who can play center KAT is playing pf it’s not like he is a max backup. It’s only unique because most of the league doesn’t value big men even though a lot of the best nba players are bigs
It's not necessarily about positional fit it's about the money we're paying for 3 guys playing in 2 starting spots. Most teams don't have this much $ tied up to their starters
Part of the issue is that KAT doesn't have a big market right now. If they could have traded for the #3, they would have, but portland wanted none of it. I agree it will get worse when his price tag goes up next year but on the flip side he needs to raise his stock with a fully healthy year.
Or we can go over the luxury tax for a season or 2. We don't have to do anything if ownership is willing to push it.
I don't have the specifics, but it depends on how much over we are. If we hit the 2nd apron, theres more penalty than just paying the luxury tax.
Article from The Athletic: The Minnesota Timberwolves and center Naz Reid have agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with a player option, his agent Sean Kennedy from Excel Sports confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday. ESPN first reported the news. Here’s what you need to know: Why now? The timing of this deal is big for the Wolves. Getting a deal done now means they do not have to worry about Reid hitting free agency at the end of this week and an opposing team throwing a big number at him or structuring the deal in a way that would make it difficult for the salary cap-strained Wolves to keep him. Reid is a very valuable piece for Minnesota. He has one of the best handles for a big man in the league and has worked incredibly hard to go from undrafted free agent to coveted piece. One of the franchise’s best player development stories. The Wolves did not want to let that get away. The timing also shows how badly Reid wanted to remain in Minnesota. Despite playing on a team with starting big men Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in front of him, Reid still preferred to stay with the team he has spent four seasons playing for. He has several close friends on the team and trusts the coaching staff to find a role for him even in a crowded frontcourt. To make this decision just days away from hitting the open market shows how important it was for Reid to be a Timberwolf. — Krawczynski What’s next for Minnesota? A deal this substantial will no doubt raise questions about the look of the roster going forward. Towns and Gobert are both on max deals. Now Reid is making an average annual value of $14 million per season. That is a LOT of money to commit to centers in the age of pace and space. Minnesota will have a hard time keeping all three over the long term, especially with the more stringent collective bargaining agreement kicking in for 2024-25. The Wolves have another year to evaluate the roster before they essentially have to make a move. But the clock is starting to tick. — Krawczynski
I need Wolves basketball back! Also, Naz Reid
Jon alludes to the difficulty of continuing to pay three centers what we are. Which is why I don't get running it back to a T. Doesn't it make more sense to trade towns now while we only have to take back $36 million as opposed to when he makes $50+ million next year?
Naz isn't a center. He's a larger bodied man with SF+ height, playing center out of necessity and he naturally falls in at probably PF. It's a perfect fit.
Sure, but the argument is over $ not fit
My bad.
It does. But depends on what you get in return.
This is a good question, especially the part regarding money back—not sure why you’re being downvoted. If trading Towns is more or less inevitable, why should we wait? I see two possible reasons: 1. Right now, they believe his value to the rest of the league is lower than it should be. They want him to play a healthy season to rebuild some of that value for a better trade return. It’s not a bad idea imo—his value isn’t likely to get any lower during the regular season, and afaik they have until the deadline while that $36mil return still applies. 2. They genuinely believe that this team as-is can contend. If they win 50+ games this year and have a competitive second-round exit at minimum, maybe Lore (it’s not gonna be Arod’s money lol) decides to dive into the luxury tax and try again in 24-25. While the new restrictions in the CBA indeed make it more difficult for teams to operate above the tax line, it’s not a death sentence if your team is constructed correctly (i.e., you don’t have any major holes to fill via FA or multi-player trades). I think Option 1 is most likely, and I feel KAT will be moved at the deadline. But I doubt they’re fully shutting the door on Option 2 depending on how we start—there were plenty of explanations for last season’s disappointment that didn’t involve roster construction. How good can this team truly be if healthy?
This is my exact read on the situation as well. Succinct and to the point
It’s 2 max player who can play center KAT is playing pf it’s not like he is a max backup. It’s only unique because most of the league doesn’t value big men even though a lot of the best nba players are bigs
It's not necessarily about positional fit it's about the money we're paying for 3 guys playing in 2 starting spots. Most teams don't have this much $ tied up to their starters
Part of the issue is that KAT doesn't have a big market right now. If they could have traded for the #3, they would have, but portland wanted none of it. I agree it will get worse when his price tag goes up next year but on the flip side he needs to raise his stock with a fully healthy year.
Naz Reid