Before the Phoenix Suns made their frontcourt additions by acquiring Mark Williams in a trade and selecting Khaman Maluach in the draft, the team reportedly explored a more ambitious move.
According to Marc Stein, the Suns made a push to land center Naz Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves via a sign-and-trade deal.
However, those efforts ultimately fell short, as Reid opted to remain in Minnesota, signing a substantial five-year, $125 million contract.
That major payday for Timberwolves center didn’t just impact Phoenix’s plans – it appears to have had ripple effects across the league, particularly in Indiana.
Stein reports that Reid’s lucrative new deal was a key factor in Myles Turner’s decision to leave the Pacers and sign with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency.
According to sources, the Pacers never presented Turner with a contract offer on par with what Reid received, leading the veteran center to seek a better situation both financially and competitively.
The sequence of events underscores how rapidly the market for skilled big men shifted, and how one deal, like Reid’s, can influence the decisions of other players and reshape team strategies across the league.
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