Naz Reid says his new role with Charlotte can let him show more of his game while bringing playoff experience to the Hornets' young roster.
Naz Reid spent seven seasons coming off the bench in Minnesota. At Charlotte Hornets media day Monday, the Hornets' new big man said Charlotte's plans for him give him room to show parts of his game he has not been able to show.
Charlotte acquired Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves on June 25 in the trade that sent LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota. Charlotte also got an unprotected 2033 first-rounder plus three swaps and three seconds.
It was the first trade of his career. He had agreed to a five-year, $125 million extension with Minnesota a year earlier, in June 2025.
Reid Adjusting to First New NBA Home
Reid has spent the offseason getting to know his new teammates and adjusting after seven years with one organization.
"It's been exciting, getting a chance to meet the guys and be in the gym with them and kind of do some off-the-court bonding as well," Reid said. "It's been good. It's a different experience than what I've dealt with in the past, just being on Minnesota for seven years and coming to a new environment, willing to adjust and learn and kind of take in as well while giving to a bunch of younger guys as well now."
Undrafted out of LSU in 2019, Reid signed a two-way deal with Minnesota that July. He was the league's Sixth Man of the Year in 2023-24, a first for a Timberwolves player, and finished fifth and fourth in the voting the next two seasons.
Most of those minutes came off the bench behind Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, and later Julius Randle. In 17 starts during the 2024-25 season, Reid averaged 18.3 points and 9.0 rebounds, ESPN reported that June.
Hornets president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson told Andscape's Marc J. Spears in July that Reid is one of his favorite stories in the league.
Reid Sees Chance to Show More of His Game
Reid said he was not super shocked by the trade, because it is a business at the end of the day. What excites him is the opportunity Charlotte is giving him.
"Oh, it's huge," Reid explained. "Kind of get a chance to kind of be myself and kind of untap into things that I get a chance to untap while being here, and kind of, like I said before, also give some of that veteran experience and playoff experience to some of the younger guys as well. So kind of being able to do both."
Minnesota made back-to-back conference finals trips in 2024 and 2025. Reid has averaged 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in his playoff career.
He turned 27 on Aug. 26. Reid, who is listed at 6-foot-9, grew up in Asbury Park, N.J., and played at Roselle Catholic. Kon Knueppel, who led the NBA in 3-pointers as a rookie, turned 21 on Aug. 3, and Brandon Miller is entering his fourth season.
Reid Wants to Bring Playoff Standards to Charlotte
Playoff standards are what Reid plans to pass along. He sees versatility and experience as two areas where he can help a younger Hornets roster.
"Super open mind," Reid said. "There's a lot of different things that can happen, like I said, being versatile, being able to be put in different situations and positions to help this team succeed. I'm excited. I get a chance to grow as a player, as a person, kind of give some of my feedback on what it's like to be in some of those tough situations. Setting yourself up to be in a situation where you're higher in standards, to put yourself in the best available situation to win in the playoffs. Kind of all that stuff matters in the back of your mind as you're going through the season."
"But kind of being able to, like I said, preach that to some of the younger guys," Reid continued. "I know we have other guys like Grayson and Royce, they've been in the playoffs as well and kind of know what it feels like, so they can also give some of their feedback as well. So I think kind of helping everybody overall on top and to the person they can be. And then we've got younger guys, like super young, so they have a lot of talent and a lot of gifted mindsets. I think that they can really flourish and become great players in this league."
Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale came from the Phoenix Suns in the trade that sent Miles Bridges to Phoenix. Dennis Schröder, acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Tre Mann, reached the Eastern Conference finals with Cleveland last season.
The Hornets have not reached the playoffs since 2016. Orlando eliminated them in the play-in tournament in April.
Last season, Reid averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for Minnesota. He entered the offseason as a career 37.1% shooter from 3-point range. He will make $23.3 million this season.
