The Charlotte Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. The move sent shockwaves through the league, but the Hornets aren’t done making decisions about their roster. One thing they’ve already made clear: Naz Reid isn’t going anywhere.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, rival teams have already started calling about Reid, the 26-year-old big man who came back to Charlotte as the centerpiece of the Ball trade. But the Hornets are telling those teams to save their breathe. The plan right now is to keep him.
“They already got some trade calls in on him, but the plan is right now to keep him,” Charania said on SportsCenter. “This is a team that could still shift the roster around a little bit if they want.”
Charlotte didn’t just get Reid in the deal. They also landed an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round selections. So they walked away with both a proven rotation player and a pile of draft capital. That’s a decent return for a franchise guard, even one with Ball’s upside and injury history.
Reid has quietly become one of the most reliable reserve big men in the NBA. He won Sixth Man of the Year in Minnesota a couple years back, and last season he averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, a block, and a steal across 77 games. He shot 45.6% from the field and 36.2% from three.
Why the Hornets want to keep him around
Reid can play both power forward and center, which gives Charlotte flexibility they haven’t had in years. He spaces the floor, he can score inside, and he’s not afraid to mix it up on defense. For a team that just shipped out its franchise guard, having a versatile frontcourt piece like Reid makes a lot of sense.
The Hornets aren’t exactly in win-now mode. But they don’t seem interested in a full tear-down either. Keeping Reid signals they want some stability around whoever steps into the lead guard role, whether that’s a holdover like Brandon Miller or a future draft pick.
Charania noted that the roster could still shift before next season starts. Charlotte has financial flexibility now, and that 2033 pick is a legit asset. But for the moment, the message to the rest of the league is simple: Naz Reid is part of the plan.
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