Here’s a quick NBA riddle for you: What do beach towels, WrestleMania, a late-night tattoo dare, and the collective psyche of an entire fanbase have in common?
Two Words: Naz. Reid.
We are now well into the Timberwolves offseason — a place I was not emotionally prepared to be quite this soon, by the way — and it’s time for Tim Connelly to earn every cent of his rumored $8 million salary. Between luxury tax gymnastics and the potential three-headed free agent monster looming in the room (NAW, Julius Randle, and the man of the hour), this front office is basically being asked to land a triple axel on a balance beam.
Last week we broke down the case for Nickeil Alexander-Walker. But this week we’re focusing on the guy who might just be the soul of the team.
Naz. Reid.
The man. The myth. The meme.
He’s more than a basketball player at this point. Naz Reid is Minnesota’s very own cult icon — forged in the fires of undrafted obscurity and tempered into the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2024.
Let’s be real — we’ve had more iconic moments with Naz than we’ve had with some full-decade Wolves. He’s a unique talent who can go full-size Big Jelly in the lane and follow it up by calmly stroking a 27-foot three. He’s not just good — he’s fun.
The Naz Reid Beach Towel™ has shown up more places than the Stanley Cup. Super Bowl? Check. WrestleMania? Check. The man’s inked on more fans than probably any athlete in state history.
Detroit Lions v Minnesota Vikings Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
But here’s the problem: we might lose him.
Reid has one year left on his deal — a deal he will almost certainly opt out of. He’s due $15 million in 2025-26, and given his trajectory, there’s every reason to believe he’ll be commanding $20–25 million per year on the open market. And the Timberwolves? They’re not exactly swimming in cap space. In fact, if our financial situation were a movie, it’d be The Revenant. You just keep crawling, praying someone notices you, and hope a bear doesn’t eat your best player.
That’s what makes this so complicated. Naz is beloved, vital, and improving. But Minnesota also has to field an actual basketball team that can win playoff games. And let’s not forget — this isn’t a tanking team clinging to nostalgia. This is a back-to-back Western Conference Finals squad that has real contention windows to manage.
So how do you handle that? How do you juggle team construction, contracts, and cap space while trying not to detonate the emotional core of your fanbase?
Let’s dig in.
The Value Conundrum
Reid has been the third big in a crowded frontcourt rotation for three seasons now — first behind KAT and Gobert, and last year, behind Gobert and Julius Randle. And that’s not because he’s not good enough to start. In fact, there were plenty of nights where he should have started.
You could feel it in the arena. The Wolves would start slow, with spacing issues and heavy legs, and everyone watching would whisper the same thing: “Where’s Naz?”
That said, Chris Finch had to manage egos. You can’t just bench Julius Randle and his All-NBA to let a cult hero start — even if it would’ve made basketball sense at times. And now, if Randle is re-signed, or even if a blockbuster move like the rumored KD trade goes through, there’s still not a clear starting role here.
The Suitors
Now let’s talk threat levels. And no, this isn’t The Hunger Games, but if it was, Brooklyn would be District 1. The Nets are the real danger here.
They have cap space. A lot of cap space — like, nearly $75 million of it. They need a big. They can offer a starting role. And Reid is a New Jersey native. That’s basically the NBA free agency version of swiping right on every single box.
The Pistons are also looming — a young team with a need for size and a desire to surround Cade Cunningham with talent that can shoot and run. Naz would be perfect there, and Detroit has some money to burn. It’s not glamorous, but if they can dangle a starting job and a nice contract, you have to listen.
Charlotte is similar — they could use him, they can probably afford him, and they’re desperate for someone with a pulse at the 4/5. But… it’s Charlotte. You’re leaving one of the most exciting teams in the league for LaMelo Ball and a franchise that’s spent a decade trying to win 35 games.
The Lakers, Warriors, Knicks — yeah, they’d all want Naz. Who wouldn’t? But they’re capped out. It’d take a sign-and-trade, and if you’re Minnesota, you’re not helping a rival for nothing.
The Spurs? They’re interesting. They’ve got Victor Wembanyama and the cap room to make a run at Reid. If they whiff on a superstar trade for Giannis or Durant — then Reid becomes a hell of a consolation prize. But it’s still not clear that San Antonio would value Naz over financial flexibility given the current trajectory of their team.
What Can the Wolves Do?
Simple: Pay him.
Or at least try.
The sweet spot here is probably a 4-year, $80–88 million deal. That puts Reed in the $20–22M AAV range — enough to make him feel like a starter and avoid feeling insulted, while not bankrupting the Wolves in the process.
Let’s be honest — the Wolves can’t afford to let all three of NAW, Randle, and Reid walk. And if you’re asking fans to choose, Reid is the only one whose departure might actually cause someone to walk into Lake Minnetonka with their #11 jersey still on.
Letting him leave without compensation would be brutal. If it comes to it, a sign-and-trade for some point guard help is the only acceptable exit strategy. That way, you at least get something back.
But the better path? Just keep him.
Reid is a guy who fits with Ant. He fits with Jaden. He fits with the city. He fits with the vibe. He’s been healthy, productive, and growing. He’s not just part of the team. He is the team — in a way that stat sheets can’t always show.
So Tim Connelly: do the right thing.
Give us our Big Jelly back.
Because whatever this next era of Wolves basketball looks like, it’s a whole lot better when it starts with “Naz. Reid.”