Timberwolves center Naz Reid looking for 'the best fit' in free agency

This offseason, Timberwolves center and impending free agent Naz Reid said he has been getting "closer and closer" with teammates Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, who, more than anyone else, are giving him the hard sell on staying with the team once the frenzy of free agency begins July 1.

They have plans in the next several weeks, and it might be just a bit awkward if Reid isn't with the Wolves any longer.

"Leaving them would be a little heartbreaking, but they understand as well," Reid told the Star Tribune in a Zoom interview Thursday. "Obviously we're trying to push the opposite way to stay together. They've tried. I'm hanging out with them all the time. We're getting closer and closer, so it would be hard for me to leave those guys."

Reid had a wide smile on his face as he talked about the pair being in his ear "a lot" about staying in Minnesota. But Reid has a little more on his mind as he enters the "exciting and nervous" time of being a free agent for the first time in his career, and his situation is more complicated than just staying where his friends want him.

"I don't really know what to expect," Reid said. "Everything is coming left and right and it's just like, I don't know, I'm ready for the time to come, because I don't know what to expect. I definitely would love to stay back in Minnesota, for sure. But it's a business and everything has to play out for both parties."

The Wolves want Reid back, and the sides have been in constant contact on productive and amicable talks throughout the last several weeks. But Reid also wants to explore what's out there on the open market, to see how much money he could make after making close to the minimum in his first four years as an undrafted free agent. He also wants to see what kind of opportunities are out there for him, such as a potential starting job with another team.

"I really value that as a person, as a player, because I feel like I worked to that potential," Reid said. "But with my unique situation, it can go great either way, coming off the bench or starting. Whatever situation is presented. But for sure, I would prioritize that."

A starting spot is not something the Wolves can offer him, not with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert still on the roster. The best they can do is offer Reid a role like what he was playing in the few games before a fractured left wrist ended his season on March 29.

At the beginning of last season, there were nights Reid barely played or didn't play at all behind Towns and Gobert. Towns' right calf injury in late November thrust Reid back into the rotation, and he never left it even when Towns returned. He averaged a career-best 11.5 points on a career-best 54% from the field while playing 18.4 minutes.

He was playing some of the best basketball of his career in the eight games before the injury, and this was when Towns and Gobert were both playing. He averaged 18.1 points in 21.7 minutes per game. This is the kind of role the Wolves are trying to sell Reid on moving forward — that he can co-exist playing major minutes even with Towns and Gobert still on the roster.

"I wouldn't mind it," Reid said of that role. "Whatever we can do for me to be back in Minnesota would be lovely, but I also feel like I've grown to a higher role or situation than I was in, in the beginning of the year.

"I'm pretty sure everybody else would agree as well. As the time goes on, the years go by, you look for a higher role, better situations than you were in if you've obviously outgrown them. So, I would love to stay back in Minnesota, but it's just like we got to find a position for it."

As for the money, Reid is set to make in the low to mid tens of millions, and is likely a popular candidate to receive a team's full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which will come in around $12.2 million. The Wolves have to be mindful of their luxury tax situation, so there could be a point Reid becomes too expensive for them, should another team desire him at those numbers. But not many teams are equipped to offer Reid more than the mid-level.

"I just want to be put in the best fit," Reid said. "Obviously money plays a part, but I definitely want to be able to develop in a situation where I'm used to the best of my abilities. A place where I'm able to do things that I could do."

When asked if he felt the Wolves could use him to the best of his abilities, he said they could, and that was starting to come out prior to his injury. Reid is still in Minnesota, and has been working out since having the cast removed from his surgically-repaired wrist a few weeks ago. He feels like he made his biggest improvements in the mental side of his game, and his skills, especially offensively, are growing with each year.

Multiple times during the Zoom interview Thursday, Reid flashed a smile and laughed when talking about how badly his teammates like Edwards and McDaniels want him back. He has visions of forming a young core with them for years to come.

"It'd be crazy," Reid said. "I'm only getting closer and closer with them."

But there's business to take care of in the next few weeks where everything Reid has worked for will culminate in a nice payday from somebody, Minnesota or otherwise. He's ready to find out who it will be.

"I still want to stay in Minnesota, but you always have to explore your options, especially in a business like this," Reid said. "You want to do what's best for you, your family and any situation that's out there. I've been nervous, excited. I just don't know what to expect. Well, I do. But I don't at the same time. I'm ready for this to be over with."