3 players in line for a big raise during the 2023 NBA offseason
C Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
With two star big men suiting up for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season, it would’ve been easy for Naz Reid to get lost in the shuffle. That shouldn’t repeat itself in free agency.
Reid wasn’t selected in the 2019 NBA Draft, but he quickly caught on with the Timberwolves, where he’s played for the past four years. The young big man has been a consistent contributor, at times putting up numbers of starting caliber.
Despite coming off the bench for most of this season, Reid averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game in fewer than 19 minutes per contest. He also averaged career bests in field goal percentage (53.7 percent) and rebounds (4.9 boards per game).
His season came to an end prematurely when Reid suffered a left wrist injury in March. Things have been quiet on the recovery front, but the hope will likely be for Reid to be fully healed by the start of next season.
Minnesota converted Reid’s two-way salary into a four-year deal in July 2019. The deal had a player option for this past season at slightly more than $1.9 million, which Reid exercised.
Considering the big men in Minnesota, Reid seems unlikely to stay if he wants to start, which he’s capable of doing. If he doesn’t mind sliding off the bench, there may be an avenue to remain with the Timberwolves.
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Around the trade deadline, however, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported Reid was looking for around $10 million next season in a future contract and declined multiple contract extension offers from the Timberwolves.
That wouldn’t even place him in the top 20 of center average salaries for next season, according to Spotrac. But it would still represent a big – and earned – raise for Naz Reid.