The Los Angeles Lakers seem to have a list of centers they will go after once NBA free agency officially starts on Tuesday. Among the people on that list are Mitchell Robinson, whom they will reportedly offer the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, Walker Kessler, Jalen Duren and Robert Williams III.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, there is someone new on that list, although the team would have to acquire him in a trade. Siegel wrote in a recent article that the Lakers have expressed interest in Naz Reid, a big man who is heading from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Charlotte Hornets via trade.
“Naz Reid is a big man the Lakers have strong interest in, sources said, but the Charlotte Hornets have not expressed to teams that they will make him available after being involved in the LaMelo Ball trade,” Siegel wrote.
Reid is more of a hybrid big man than a true center, but at 6-foot-9 and 264 pounds, he has plenty of size. He averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and one block in 26.1 minutes a game this season, and while he may not be an elite defender, he’s no slouch in that department either.
He’s done a terrific job of coming off the bench for the Timberwolves in his seven pro seasons, and he is just two years removed from winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. Reid is also an outside shooting threat who made 36.2% of his 5.8 3-point attempts a contest this season, and he has shot as high as 41.4% from that distance during the 2023-24 campaign.
The 26-year-old will make $23.28 million next season, and he has four seasons left on his contract, with a player option for the 2029-30 campaign.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Insider: Lakers have ‘strong interest’ in Naz Reid
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
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By Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire | USA TODAY Network
