{"id":125485,"date":"2025-02-24T17:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T22:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=125485"},"modified":"2025-02-24T22:52:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T03:52:50","slug":"timberwolves-key-piece-expected-opt-out-become-free-agent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/24\/timberwolves-key-piece-expected-opt-out-become-free-agent\/","title":{"rendered":"Timberwolves Key Piece Expected To Opt Out, Become Free Agent"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a particularly trying 2024-25 campaign, their decision to trade former No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns<\/a> seemingly more trouble than it was worth.<\/p>\n

In short, the same skillset that led to Julius Randle<\/a> becoming a three-time All-Star has been a factor in the Timberwolves being just seventh in the Western Conference standings. This isn’t all on Randle. Chemistry is always a work in progress, even for teammates that have played alongside each other for a while. Nevertheless, Randle just doesn’t appear to be an optimal fit alongside Rudy Gobert<\/a> and Jaden McDaniels<\/a> in the frontcourt.<\/p>\n

Timberwolves’ Naz Reid Expected To Opt Out, Become Free Agent<\/h2>\n

Randle isn’t the only player in Minnesota who was thought of as a Towns replacement.<\/p>\n

Naz Reid<\/a>, the 2024 Sixth Man of the Year, was considered an option as well. Frankly, he might still be, especially as he’s been their starting power forward while Randle has been out with injury. With that being said, the Timberwolves could’ve still started Randle and Reid in the frontcourt, as Reid is a more consistent spot-up shooter than McDaniels.<\/p>\n

However, they might not get that chance, as The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer reveals that Reid is expected to become a free agent<\/a> this offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cReid… possesses a $15 million player option for 2025-26 that many of those same strategists expect he\u2019ll decline in search of a richer arrangement in the summer,” the longtime insider writes.<\/p>\n

Now, it’s worth noting that Minnesota possesses Reid’s Bird Rights. Furthermore, the Timberwolves have appreciated and enjoyed Reid’s tenure. For those reasons, it’s possible –if not likely –that he’ll simply re-sign with Minnesota. Still, there are no guarantees in the NBA.<\/p>\n

Naz Reid’s Potential Suitors<\/h3>\n

While the expectation may be for Reid to opt-out and re-up with the Timberwolves, there are a couple of teams who could sway him to join their program.<\/p>\n

Chief among his potential suitors are the Brooklyn Nets, who’ll have more cap space than any organization this offseason.<\/p>\n

The Nets can also offer Reid a starting role, as Nic Claxton<\/a>‘s their only player cemented as a cornerstone<\/a>. If competing for a championship is Reid’s primary concern at this point of his career, Brooklyn may not appeal to him. Nonetheless, younger players often prioritize finances and their role over playing for a title-contender.<\/p>\n

Another team that could have interest in Reid is the Phoenix Suns. If the Timberwolves target Suns superstar Kevin Durant<\/a> again, Reid could be a trade candidate that helps them match salary. With Bol Bol<\/a> arguably Phoenix’s best power forward and Ryan Dunn<\/a> in the doghouse, his inclusion is even more likely.<\/p>\n

Notably, Randle would obviously be a trade candidate as well. In fact, when Minnesota called Phoenix up about Durant the first time, Randle may have been on the block<\/a>. Nevertheless, a Big 3 of Durant, Randle, and Anthony Edwards<\/a> may be more effective than the alternative.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a9 Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a particularly trying 2024-25 campaign, their decision to trade former No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns seemingly more trouble than it was worth. In short, the same skillset that led to Julius Randle becoming a three-time All-Star has been a factor in the Timberwolves being just seventh in the Western Conference […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":125504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,1608,6,62,28,4721],"tags":[510,1881,297,4774],"class_list":["post-125485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-timberwolves","category-basketball","category-nets","category-nba","category-suns","category-trade-rumors","tag-julius-randle","tag-naz-reid","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-rumors"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125485"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125534,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125485\/revisions\/125534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}