Naz Reid is a Charlotte Hornet now. The Lakers had a shot at him before that happened, and they passed. According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, speaking on “The Zach Lowe Show,” the Lakers called the Timberwolves about Naz Reid, but never really entered serious negotiations.
Reid has changed teams since then, so the real question is whether L.A. should go after him again in Charlotte. They shouldn’t.
Reid Fits What the Lakers Wanted
There was a real basketball reason to call. Woike said the Lakers were very interested in finding an offensive-minded four this summer, and Reid fits that description almost exactly.
Last season, he averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in 26.1 minutes a game, shooting 45.6% from the field and 36.2% from 3-point range. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2024.
The interest also lasted beyond that first call. After Minnesota sent Reid, its unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks to Charlotte in exchange for LaMelo Ball in late June, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints reported that Reid is a big man the Lakers have strong interest in.
The hole hasn’t gone away either. ESPN’s offseason review described the Lakers as having one of the NBA’s weakest forward groups on top of a thin center rotation.
Reid Costs Too Much for a Need L.A. Has Filled
Woike’s account explains why L.A. walked away. The front office saw Reid as a possible discount from a team under salary pressure. That opening closed once Minnesota moved him.
Charlotte gave up an All-Star to get Reid, and Siegel reported the Hornets have not expressed to teams that they will make him available. He’s now expected to start at power forward there. The Hornets have no reason to sell cheap.
The contract would be hard to justify even if he were available. Reid is playing under a five-year, $125 million contract, which works out to roughly $25 million a year. The Lakers instead signed the Georgian big man to a cheaper four-year, $52 million deal, about half the annual cost for the same job description.
So far, Mamukelashvili is doing that job. Across the preseason he averaged 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 55.6% from the field and 54.2% from three-point range. That shooting will come down, because preseason samples are small.
What matters more is how he’s being used: Redick has played him at the 4 and the 5 as a spacer and secondary handler, which gives Dončić and Reaves the offensive four they were looking for.
The Lakers also have little left to trade. ESPN noted the team has almost no remaining draft assets after giving up a haul for Kessler. Whatever trade capital is left should go to the problem the roster actually has, and that problem isn’t scoring at power forward.
The Lakers Need Defense, and Reid Doesn’t Supply It
The biggest worry about this roster is defense. Dončić and Reaves don’t stop anyone at the point of attack, and neither do Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton or Jake LaRavia.
The open question is what happens to the defense when Kessler sits. Reid is not a defensive stopper, though he isn’t a liability either. Adding him would give L.A. more of what it already has and almost nothing it’s missing.
The Verdict
The Lakers made the right call over the summer, and the reasons are stronger now. They checked whether Reid was available at a discount. When he wasn’t, they spent their cap space on a cheaper player with a similar role, and that player has looked good in camp.
To chase Reid now, L.A. would have to pay a team that doesn’t want to sell, take on $125 million in guaranteed money and spend its few remaining assets on a position it has already filled.
If Mamukelashvili struggles once real games start, the Lakers can revisit this at the deadline. Even then, the money would be better spent on a forward who defends the perimeter or on a backup center, because those are the gaps that could sink this team.
Source: Dan Woike of The Athletic
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