The Lakers reportedly tried to trade for Naz Reid this summer
· Yahoo Sports
The biggest roster weakness the Los Angeles Lakers currently have, in the minds of many, is a starting-level two-way wing or forward. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler are locks for their starting lineup, and while Quentin Grimes could get a starting job as a shorter two-way wing, they don't have a high-level wing who is big enough to start at one forward position.
Their pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga this summer as an attempt to fill that hole is well-documented. Dan Woike, a Lakers beat writer for The Athletic, said on "The Zach Lowe Show" that the team also tried to pry loose Naz Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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“The Lakers were very interested in finding an offensive-minded four this summer. They called on Naz Reid early on. They didn’t make what I would consider to be, like, a very serious offer for Naz Reid. But they called and checked in,” Woike said. “I think he was one of the players [where] they identified teams that had some salary pressure points. Like maybe there was a way you could get a guy for 75 cents [on the dollar]…That was a player that they looked at. I think, again, didn’t really put a real offer on the table for him but if Minnesota was in a sell-off, they were willing to say ‘Hey, maybe we can save you some money here.’”
The Timberwolves made big changes this summer, including jettisoning three-time All-Star power forward (and former Laker) Julius Randle and trading for guard LaMelo Ball. To acquire Ball, they had to give up Reid to the Charlotte Hornets.
A hulking 6-foot-9, 264-pound specimen, Reid isn't known much for his defense, but he isn't exactly a slouch on that end of the floor. Other than that, he has developed into a decent complementary scorer and 3-point threat, and he's also a capable rebounder.
Last season, he averaged 13.6 points on 45.6% field-goal shooting and 36.2% from 3-point range and 6.2 rebounds in 26.1 minutes a game. The Lakers got a close look at Reid during their first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves in 2025, when he scored 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting in a surprise 117-95 Minnesota win in Game 1.
This article originally appeared on Lakers Wire: The Lakers reportedly tried to trade for Naz Reid this summer