The Golden State need to address their center position this offseason, but the list of big men available is starting to dwindle on the eve of free agency.
Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid is the latest to be taken off the market, with ESPN's Shams Charania reporting that the franchise has secured the 25-year-old's key free agent signature on a huge five-year, $125 million contract.
Naz Reid could have been an ideal fit for the Warriors
Reid had a $15 million player option for next season, giving him the opportunity to opt out and explore his options which could have included potential sign-and-trade scenarios. The 6'9" big man has indeed opted out of next season's deal, but only to re-sign with the Timberwolves on a new contract that raises questions regarding the future of 3x All-Star Julius Randle and even 4x Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
It's the presence of Randle and Gobert that had some believing Reid would be available this offseason. While he views himself as a starter in the league, Reid has been stuck in a bench role for 332 of his 406 career regular season games.
He subseqently won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2024, before averaging a career-high 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game this past season on 46.2% shooting from the floor and 37.9% from 3-point range.
Charania reported that Reid turned down a "vibrant market developing of teams interested with similar money but with starting roles." Golden State could have been one of those teams, having spent the final months of the season starting Draymond Green as a small-ball five.
While bringing in Reid as a starter would have left some defensive concerns for the Warriors, his scoring and ability to space the floor would have made for an ideal offensive fit next to Green in the front court.
Whether Golden State could have reached the figure Minnesota have just paid Reid is another question entirely, though perhaps it may have been possible in some kind of multi-team Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade scenario.
Alas, the Warriors will now enter free agency with a smaller field of potential targets, perhaps headlined by veterans Brook Lopez and Al Horford. That's if Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office even look to pursue a center, with the real possibility that they instead choose to show significant faith in young center Quinten Post despite some significant struggles during the playoffs.
