Take another name off the potential free agent board.
Naz Reid and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to a five-year, $125 million contract extension, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN. This keeps a key part of Minnesota’s roster in place, a group that has advanced to back-to-back Western Conference Finals.
Ried will decline his $15 million player option as part of this contract extension. That was expected, and other teams were eyeing the 2024 Sixth Man of the Year, with Chrania describing a “vibrant market developing” willing to pay in the neighborhood of what the Timberwolves paid to keep him, but with some teams offering a starting role. Detroit, a team looking for a stretch big, was one team consistently mentioned as interested in Reid. (As of this writing, only Brooklyn would have the cap space to make that kind of offer, but other teams could get there if they wanted.)
Reid, 25, averaged 14.2 points and six rebounds a game for the Timberwolves last season. He shot 37.9% from beyond the arc, providing a change of pace from starting center Rudy Gobert. Reid also stepped up with some big games in Minnesota’s playoff runs.
Minnesota is not done with questions about re-signing big men. They need to decide on Julius Randle, who has a $30.9 million player option that must be picked up by Sunday. He is also seeking an extension.
