With most NBA teams moving on to the smaller needs on their rosters, free agent Willie Reed is getting a lot of attention, with the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves rumored to be interested.
Reed, 26, is a 6’10 power forward who can play some center (29% of the time last season), with one year of NBA basketball on his CV. After three seasons of college ball in Saint Louis, he did his rounds among D-League teams, played a bit in the Dominican Republic, before signing with the Brooklyn Nets last season. He made just under $1 million for his season on the team, averaging 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game, getting 39 games including two starts.
Reed doesn’t fall into the category of the stretch ‘4’ or even ‘5’ teams are looking for. He’s a good finisher near the rim, and gets most of his points there. He’s a good rebounder (10.3 per 36 minutes) and pretty strong on the offensive glass as well (4.1 ORB per 36 minutes). But he didn’t shoot from three last season, and his mid-range game is so-so, making 42.1% of his shots between 3 and 10 feet away from the basket.
In short, Reed is a guy to fill up a roster spot, with teams liking what they saw from him last season, giving them an option to backup big men for 10-15 minutes a night. His defense isn’t bad either with very good timing when it comes to blocks (2.5 per 36 minutes). It’s hard to find a team that’s not looking for a player like him to be on their bench, and with him being in such demand, Reed might end up making more than the minimum, although a good agent could land him a bigger deal in Europe, although things are quite messy there right now with the battle between FIBA and the Euroleague. Don’t be surprised if he ends up going back to the Nets.