NBA Rumors: There is an outside chance that the Minnesota Timberwolves could lose a key piece of their foundational future this summer.
Part of the Minnesota Timberwolves' thinking when they traded Karl-Anthony Towns away just before the start of the season had to revolve around the idea of gaining the flexibility to keep some of their younger core together. One of those pieces that the Wolves needed to find a path toward re-signing was Naz Reid. As the offseason quickly approaches, that's going to quickly be put to the test for the Wolves.
As Reid is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract to test free agency after this season, we're going to find out fairly quickly if the trade of KAT is going to pay off as perhaps the team was hoping it would. Reid, 25, is playing the best basketball of his career while averaging 15 points and six rebounds on 48 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from 3-point range.
After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft, Reid is in line for a huge payday - one that will likely set him up for generations to come. The question is, will the reward of a big payday come from the Wolves or will it come via another team in free agency?
What are the odds that Naz Reid walks in free agency?
Of course, the hope is that the Wolves will be able to re-sign Reid even if he opts out of the final year of his contract. Even more so after the loss of KAT and the uncertainty revolving around the future of Julius Randle, Reid is going to be considered a bit part of this team's future. As the team continues to try to build around Anthony Edwards, the last thing the Wolves need is to lose such a significant part of the team.
At the same time, flexibility is exactly what the Wolves wanted when they traded away KAT. If Reid does become too expensive, there could be a world where they simply let him walk in free agency. It will be interesting to see what his market looks like on the open market. Even though he's just 25 years old and playing the best basketball of his career, I'd be shocked if the Wolves weren't able to lock him up.
However, at the very least, it does seem as if Reid is going to test the open market. And if the Wolves are willing to pay Reid market value, which will likely be high, there's a very good chance he ends up walking and Minnesota loses a huge part of their foundational core.