The Minnesota Timberwolves could have a completely different roster next season, as veteran wing Julius Randle holds a $30.9 million player option that he must exercise or decline by June 29, and former Sixth Man of the Year center Naz Reid is expected to decline his $15 million player option.
Considering the Timberwolves’ cap situation, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to keep both Randle and Reid. The 6-foot-9, 265-pound Reid is slated to opt out and enter free agency, per NBA insider Jake Fischer. He averaged career highs of 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 80 games (17 starts) this season.
Here are the top three teams that Reid could potentially sign with this summer.
Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham was named to the All-NBA Third Team, so this will impact the Detroit Pistons’ spending this offseason. Because Cunningham’s salary next season will be adjusted from $38.6 million to $46.4 million, Detroit is projected to enter the offseason with $19 million in cap space, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The Pistons could use another big man like Reid to help give Cunningham more second chance points in Detroit’s offense. Playoff teams need key contributors who can provide scoring opportunities, and this works best when the backcourt and frontcourt are able to fire on all cylinders as one cohesive unit.
In addition, no player outside of Cunningham is set to earn more than $27 million in salary next year, and Reid earned $13.98 million with Minnesota this season. He could be the right big man for the job.
However, signing Reid won’t be easy for either team.
“The Timberwolves have made it known they have strong interest in retaining Reid and there’s another notable obstacle for the Pistons here: Even if Reid makes it to the open market, Detroit won’t have substantial salary cap room to try to outright sign him away from the Wolves if it is also hoping to re-sign sharpshooter Malik Beasley and/or veteran guard Dennis Schroder. (Tim Hardaway Jr. is another Pistons free agent-to-be.),” wrote NBA insider Marc Stein.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks enter the offseason with $200 million in salary and four roster spots available. The Eastern Conference contender is $3.8 million over the first apron and $8 million below the second.
Although New York is looking for more defensive-focused standouts, Naz Reid would still be a solid addition for a Knicks team that finished this season with the NBA’s fifth-best record and reached the conference finals for the first time since 1999.
Improving roster depth is what it comes down to. Reid averaged a career-high 27.5 minutes with the Timberwolves this season. The Knicks’ reserves this campaign ranked last in minutes per game, according to Basketball Reference.
Not only that, but Mitchell Robinson also averaged 12.6 rebounds per 36 minutes in the playoffs and is an unrestricted free agent in the 2026 offseason if an extension is not reached.
Reid would be a great lob threat for the Knicks.
Los Angeles Lakers
Heading into the 2025 offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are arguably the most desperate team in need of a reliable center. Christian Koloko and Alex Len are not cutting it. That should go without saying.
The Lakers were able to acquire superstar Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks before the trade deadline, but they rescinded a separate trade with the Charlotte Hornets after center Mark Williams failed his physical.
A lob-threat starting center and frontcourt size are a must for Los Angeles to improve its roster. The Lakers ranked last in the playoffs in points in the paint and third worst in paint points allowed. Naz Reid shot 54.4% from 2-point range and a career-best 77.6% from the foul line with the Timberwolves this season.
Reid would essentially bolster the Lakers’ offensive production in the key.
While Los Angeles’ cap space is limited, the team does have a 2031 first-round pick, five years of pick swaps, former first-round pick Dalton Knecht, and over $70 million in expiring contracts (Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, Maxi Kleber, and Gabe Vincent) to use in a trade.
The future of LeBron James is also the franchise’s focus for a second straight offseason. James has a $52.6 million player option and again can enter free agency. Doncic is not a free agent but is eligible to sign up to a four-year, $229 million extension on Aug. 2.
If James decides to decline his player option, he could sign up to a three-year, $175.3 million contract. The four-time MVP has signed four contracts with L.A. since 2018.
