Naz Reid has committed to a new five-year, $125 million contract to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves, following a massive offseason move as one of the main signs to become a constant member of the team rotation on the frontcourt at the end of the week. The transaction contains an optional player and came after Reid rejected his player option on a $15 million salary in 2025-26 that would have given him a chance to become a free agent. Reid decided to remain with Minnesota and shared their vision of the future. Having made back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves made Reid a core that will see the franchise maintain Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Julius Randle.
Undrafted to Franchise Foundation
The extension means that Naz Reid will be the top paid person to be admitted into the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of LSU. Since this time, he has grown to be one of the most efficient and dependable sixth men in the league as he won the Sixth Man of the Year designation 2024 and Minnesota became a respectable playoff contender in the West. His special talent of floor spacing, rim performances, and bench scoring have been the key addition to head coach Chris Finch schemes.
Last season, Reid scored 14.2 points per game averaging 6.0 rebounds in less than 28 minutes per game. He achieved even greater figures in 17 outcomes with 18.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
A Re-Signing Critical to a Rising Team
Not only does Minnesota lock a quality bench guy and a high-level contributor in Reid, they get what is likely to become a fan favorite and locker-room leader. Shams Charania of ESPN said Reid is not only among the few players in NBA history to have scored more than 2,000 points in reserves during the past three seasons; he is in an elite club.
The Timberwolves’ decision to invest long-term in Reid also reflects their strategic approach. The team is building around Anthony Edwards and has been making calculated moves, like acquiring Randle and balancing veteran contracts with homegrown talent. Reid’s ability to play both center and power forward gives the Timberwolves valuable flexibility in various matchups, especially alongside bigs like Gobert.
Naz Reid is the Key to its Value
The same cannot be said about Naz Reid since he is efficient in the three point line. In the last two seasons, his long-range attempts have been averaged at 5.8 with a 39.5 percentage rate, which is quite good. It makes him quite company with other big men that are rare in such company like Kristaps Porzingis and Victor Wembanyama due to the fact that they can stretch defenses repeatedly out at the three-point line.
This shooting has turned into an offensive feature of the Minnesota team, and it allows the Timberwolves to play high-action spacing situations and leave room on the floor with Edwards slashing and Gobert in the paint. The skill set that Reid possesses fills in the gaps that the two stars leave without putting too much burden on the court or taking the balance with the other players.
Turning Down Greater Opportunities elsewhere
Although other teams showed interest in Reid and were willing to pay him comparable amounts of money and possible starting positions, he chose to remain in Minnesota. Such a call would go a long way in saying how confident he is in the organization and how he believes the team can challenge when it comes to winning a championship. He was said to have had minutes or marquee offers elsewhere on the table but Reid refused the chance to start as he valued continuity, stability and culture.
The deal with the Timberwolves came through his representatives, Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports and was done as part of a vital accord that strengthens Minnesota to continue its consistency on a playoff stats roster.
