The Minnesota Timberwolves roll in the playoffs, attacking the La Lakers for a 3-1 series lead.
In this playoff series, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ depth strength is an advantage over the LA Lakers.
On one side, JJ Redick is playing the same five players in half of the Lakers for the first time in the NBA playoffs since 1998.
On the other side is the former sixth man, the old man, but Naz Reed has a steady hand that has an impact on the Timberwolves.
Naz Reid has stood out during the series so far, contributing to valuable minutes and providing a regular point source of 13.8 average.
| Naz Reid | Min | point | rebound | FG |
| Game 1 (w) | 31 | twenty three | 5 | 8-12 |
| Game 2 (L) | twenty one | 9 | 2 | 3-8 |
| Game 3 (W) | 27 | 11 | 6 | 4-7 |
| Game 4 (w) | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4-7 |
These valuable performances show why Minnesota is trying to re-sign Naz Reid, but doing so could bring some challenges.
Reed has a $15 million player option to re-sign the Timberwolves as part of a three-year deal he signed in 2023.
And while he might want to go back to Minnesota, it makes little sense for Reid to take up his options. Jake Fisher already reports that leads are expected to decline with the aim of getting a more substantial deal in terms of reward and length.
Reed has become one of the most interesting and potential free agents this summer if he rejects a player’s option.
Bill Simmons has flipped him over to win up to $35 million in free agency if talented teams like the New Orleans Pelican, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizard enter the bid.
Reed will have more competitive suitors, and Fisher has insisted that Reed has been interested in the Cavaliers, Spurs and Mavericks in the past.
And with a potentially intriguing twist, the current series opponent, La Lakers, may now be the most desperate team in the league of high quality centers.
They’re looking at the lead in person, but it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that if he was with the Lakers now, it could be 3-1 instead of 3-1.
Minnesota will want to keep the lead, but they will likely need to cut down cash to keep him at a free agency, but similar options may be rolled out as Julius Randle.
For now, Timberwolves can enjoy their current roster, but decisions are on the way ahead due to the team’s new ownership group.