Souhan: Count Naz Reid as a Timberwolves cornerstone and nothing less

Imagine the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals trading their star quarterbacks.

Imagine two NHL teams trading goalies.

Imagine a long-theorized, never-consummated deal that would have sent Joe DiMaggio to Boston and Ted Williams to the Yankees, where each would have enjoyed hitting home runs to a short pull field.

Those deals don’t and didn’t happen because most sports value continuity.

Then there’s the NBA, where the Mavericks and Lakers, contenders in the same conference, exchanged two of the 10 best players in the league midseason. Where Jimmy Butler can gut one organization, then be embraced by another. Where Kevin Durant, one of the greatest scorers in league history, can be the subject of accurate trade rumors not only every offseason but every trade deadline.

The sheer audacity of the NBA ethos is personified by the Timberwolves’ Tim Connelly, who has made four major deals since arriving in the summer of 2022 — trading half the franchise for Rudy Gobert, dealing D’Angelo Russell for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, trading up to get Rob Dillingham in the draft and dealing Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Connelly, like his peers, is liable to do just about anything at any time.

Here’s one deal he shouldn’t do:

Anything that would cost him Naz Reid.

Thursday night, Reid was pressed into playing center for the Timberwolves because of Rudy Gobert’s back spasms.

So Reid was asked to be a dominating defender, three-point shooter, rim-crasher and ballhandler against the best team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Playing alongside perennial All-Star Anthony Edwards and against leading MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Reid was the best player on the court.

He played 38 minutes, producing 27 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and a block. He did not turn the ball over. He committed just one foul despite playing intense defense.

The Timberwolves have had a revolving “Big Three” over the past decade.

Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.

Towns, Wiggins and Butler. (Butler was often lauded for trying to embarrass his younger teammates, but Wiggins has since won an NBA title and Towns is thriving with Butler in his rearview mirror.)

Towns, Russell and Edwards.

Edwards, Gobert and Towns.

Edwards, Gobert and Randle.

Today, the Wolves’ Big Three should be Edwards, Gobert and Reid.

He might be the Wolves’ best ballhandler.

He might be the Wolves’ best three-point shooter, although Edwards is connecting on a slightly higher rate at the moment.

He’s the Wolves’ most mobile center, when he plays center.

He’s the best at-the-rim finisher, because of his ability to spin in shots with either hand from odd angles.

He’s a wonderful example of the modern, positionless player, who is comfortable defending the rim and shooting 25-footers.

He plays hard. Always.

He’s remarkably low-ego for a player of his ability.

The Wolves have built their franchise around Edwards and Gobert.

If I were Connelly, Reid would be the one player I would not want to include in a trade. I’m not sure you could get equal value for him.

And unlike the principals of the latest NBA blockbuster — Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis — Reid carries no negative baggage.

Unlike Doncic, he stays in shape. Unlike Davis, he isn’t constantly missing games because of injuries.

Reid also stands as powerful example of player determination and development. He went undrafted out of LSU. As recently as 18 months ago, there were analysts in the Wolves organization who weren’t sure Reid would ever develop into anything more than a 3-and-D bench player.

Luckily for the organization, Connelly disagreed and saw Reid as a vital part of a championship contender.

Even after shooting below his capabilities early in the season, Reid has the highest effective field-goal percentage on the team among regulars who take shots from outside the paint.

Rudy Gobert, who mostly dunks and shoots 3-footers, is at .653. Reid, who often shoots from well beyond the arc with a hand in his face, is at .585. Edwards is at .540.

Last year, Reid was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.

This year, Reid is one of the Wolves’ top two players. And, at times, like Thursday, that qualifies as faint praise.