Portland Trail Blazers: One trade with every team in the Northwest Division
By Andy Quach
2. The Portland Trail Blazers boost their bench with help from the Minnesota Timberwolves
Why the Blazers do it:
The Portland Trail Blazers need a third center and Naz Reid would be a solid option. Reid stands 6’10 with a seven-foot wingspan, can move aptly around the perimeter, and is strong enough to hold his own on the low-block.
While he’ll probably never be an All-Defensive guy, he’s more than adequate as a second or third big.
What’s enticing is the element he could add on offense for the Blazers. Reid can stretch the floor from the five spot and allow Portland to create additional space without sacrificing size. He’s a career 34 percent deep shooter on over five attempts per 36 minutes.
Naz would provide reliable insurance in case Jusuf Nurkic or Cody Zeller comes down with injury and could play spot minutes when the Blazers need a boost on offense.
Why the Timberwolves do it:
The future of the Minnesota Timberwolves is pretty up in the air at the moment, as the team has relieved its President of Basketball Operations Gerssan Rosas of his position following a nasty scandal.
One thing is pretty sure, though. Former undrafted free agent Naz Reid won’t be a part of the team’s future for long.
There’s a possibility that whoever takes Rosas’s former post could decide to blow it all up. If that’s the case, they’ll want to have as many future assets as possible to steer the team in their new vision.
Nabbing two second-round picks for an undrafted gem is a pretty good place to start.