Last year, the Portland Trail Blazers found a gem in the form of undrafted 27-year-old Duop Reath, who had a remarkable journey to get to the league. Now, it could be time for them to cash in their chips, as Reath is generating interest from teams around the league.
With the new CBA, high-spending teams face much stricter tax apron restrictions. Reath is on a minimum deal for the next two seasons, making him an attractive trade target for teams affected by the new rules. The second apron threshold is $188,931,000. Four teams are over that threshold—the Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Reath could also draw inquiries from other teams since floor spacing is a premium in the modern NBA, and the big man is shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc this season. However, financially strapped teams may show more interest in Reath due to their limited options.
No. 1: Phoenix Suns
The Suns currently have the highest total apron allocations at $220,403,340, with their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal accounting for roughly $150 million alone. They have decent center depth between Jusuf Nurkic and Mason Plumlee. But they already have two former Trail Blazers, so why not make it three?
In all seriousness, Plumlee is 34 years old and only on a one-year rental for Phoenix. They don't necessarily need Reath this year, barring injuries, but they could be intrigued by the idea of trading for him to secure their backup center position for 2025-26.
Reath is arguably the best they can do with a minimum contract, and his skill set as a stretch five would fit in nicely with the Suns' offense, allowing for more one-on-one opportunities for their superstars. We all know how much Booker hates double teams.
No. 2: Boston Celtics
Reath's appeal for Boston is similar to his fit with Phoenix. While the Celtics have center depth this season, Al Horford is 38 and on an expiring contract, raising the possibility that this could be his final year.
The Celtics do have Neemias Queta and Xavier Tillman beyond 2024-25. Boston traded two second-round picks for Tillman, showing their desire to upgrade their center depth. But that experiment hasn't panned out, as he's averaged less than ten minutes this season.
With Luke Kornet also on an expiring deal, the Celtics could be seeking another upgrade, and Reath makes a lot of sense. One of many reasons Boston is the most dangerous team in the league is that all five positions can hurt you from deep, and Reath would play to their offensive strengths much better than their current backup bigs.
He'd also provide an additional insurance policy for the injury-prone Kristaps Porzingis, who has played at least 65 games in just three of his eight full NBA seasons.
No. 3: Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks only have one first-round pick and one second-round pick to trade, largely thanks to the Blazers, which makes a potential deal more complicated. It remains to be seen if they should even be considered a contender with a 12-11 record. But draft capital and record aside, they'd be the ideal trade partner for Reath from a roster standpoint.
Of all the tax-strapped teams, Milwaukee is most desperate for a big man. They have an extremely shallow bench that could use an upgrade at virtually every position, including center. That would give their rotations much more flexibility, with Bobby Portis sliding down to primarily play backup power forward, which is his more natural position.
Much like the Suns with Plumlee and the Celtics with Horford, the Bucks have an aging big man of their own in 36-year-old Brook Lopez, whose play has been gradually declining. His contract also expires at the end of this season, leaving a huge question mark at that position for next season with limited options.
They dug themselves a hole with the Damian Lillard trade not going as planned due to a poor supporting cast. Besides a complete roster overhaul, which seems unlikely at this point, their only option now is trying to put a band-aid on it by finding cheap but quality players to fill out their bench and give themselves a puncher's chance. That's easier said than done, but acquiring Reath would be a step in the right direction.