Fan-Favorite Naz Reid Traded Away By Minnesota Timberwolves – Trade Details

In the Minnesota sports world over the last few years, the legend of Timberwolves player Naz Reid has been an interesting one.

Reid went from being an undrafted player picked up by the Wolves in 2019 to being a brand in Minnesota. Thousands of fans have shirts, towels, and even tattoos with Naz Reid's name.

For those who don't follow the sport very closely, you'd assume a player with such a brand was the top-name starter on the team. Nope. Reid was a backup. A player who came off the bench for the team. But when he did come off the bench and took the court, he usually made his presence known.

For a part of this week, fans were excited after Minnesota traded away Julius Randle, setting the stage to perhaps see Reid settle into a starting role for the Timberwolves. Then, a few days later, news he's been traded away.

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This morning (June 25), ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Timberwolves were trading Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets for LaMello Ball and Josh Green and some draft pick swaps.

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While neither team has confirmed this news as of the time I am writing this, numerous people plugged into this scene are confirming this news.

The details of the reported trade are as follows:

Fans on social media have been reacting to this trade, with most people lamenting the loss of Reid. Some are going further, expressing frustration with what Minnesota got back in the trade.

Critics of the trade have been pointing to Ball's lack of defensive ability and injury history as key reasons they're not very excited about the trade. In addition, he has a tendency to make some questionable decisions and take bold shots. When those shots pay off, however, they're electric.

High-risk, high-reward is a phrase a lot of people are using for LaMello and this trade.

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Despite those legitimate concerns, that electric nature I just mentioned is the upside hopeful Wolves fans are trying to lean into to ease the hurt of losing Naz Reid.

LaMello is among the better point guards in the NBA, bringing quite a bit of scoring to the table. The Timberwolves have been clamoring for a top-tier point guard to pair up with Anthony Edwards for a while now, and the team seems to think Ball may be the answer to elevate the team's offense.