The Spurs have already moved from surprise story to full-blown contender, and that changes the kind of swing they can make. After last season’s run to the NBA Finals, San Antonio kept the core intact, added Tobias Harris on a two-year, $31 million deal, and still looks like it has room for one more frontcourt piece that actually fits the shape of the roster.
That’s where Naz Reid comes in.
A mock trade framework has Reid headed to San Antonio, with the idea being simple: the Spurs need a younger big who can space the floor, rebound, and survive at center when Victor Wembanyama sits. Harris gives them experience and scoring, but he’ll be 34 when the season starts. Reid, by contrast, offers a cleaner long-term fit next to Wembanyama.
Last season, Reid averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2.0 combined steals and blocks in 26 minutes per game. He shot 45.6% from the field and 36.2% from three, hitting 2.1 threes a night. Those aren’t star numbers, but they’re exactly the kind of numbers that play well in a lineup built around Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell.
San Antonio wouldn’t need Reid to carry the offense. He could do the smaller jobs that matter: stretch the floor, punish overhelp, set screens for Fox, and attack slower centers when defenses close out too hard. With Wembanyama pulling defenders away from the rim, Reid’s game should open up even more.
He’d also give the Spurs a real second-unit anchor. Wembanyama can’t play every minute, and Reid has enough experience at power forward and center to move around the lineup.
He could play beside Wemby, beside Luke Kornet, or even as the lone big in smaller groups. In a playoff series, that kind of flexibility matters.
There’s also a little proof of concept already. In Game 6 of last season’s Western Conference Semifinals, Reid scored 18 points and pulled down seven rebounds while going 3-of-7 from deep, even in a Minnesota loss. The Spurs saw firsthand how his shooting can bend a defense.
The projected starting five would still be Fox, Castle, Vassell, Harris, and Wembanyama, which would leave Reid in a sixth-man role. That’s not a bad place to be when you can bring frontcourt scoring off the bench and still close games with extra shooting and rebounding by pairing Reid and Wembanyama together.
The fit works because Wembanyama doesn’t need a traditional big beside him. He needs someone who can space the floor and not get in the way when he attacks.
Reid checks that box. He attempted 5.8 threes per game last season and made 36.2% of them, and at 6’9” and 264 pounds, he can also punish smaller defenders who try to chase him off the line.
His efficiency dipped a bit last season, finishing at 45.6% from the field and 56.5% true shooting, but San Antonio’s creators should make life easier on him. The Spurs would be asking him to finish, not to create everything himself.
Defensively, Reid has limitations. He’s not an elite rim protector, and quicker guards can give him problems in space.
But those issues matter less when Wembanyama is behind him. Castle and Vassell can handle perimeter pressure, and Wembanyama can erase mistakes at the rim.
Reid would only need to be solid inside a much stronger system.
Charlotte, meanwhile, would have a reason to listen. The Hornets just acquired Reid in the big four-team LaMelo Ball trade, and that deal also brought them an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three first-round swaps, and three second-rounders. They’re clearly thinking long term, especially after moving Ball and Miles Bridges and shifting toward Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
In the proposed framework, Keldon Johnson would go to Charlotte as a 26-year-old rotation forward on a $17.5 million salary next season. Carter Bryant would be the developmental swing piece, with the chance to get more minutes in Charlotte alongside Miller and Knueppel. The package would also include a 2029 first-round pick, top-8 protected.
It’s a steep price for a non-All-Star, and there’s no way around that. But the Spurs have the kind of roster depth that lets them turn extra pieces into a cleaner fit.
Reid wouldn’t need to be a star in San Antonio. He’d just need to be exactly what they’re missing.
In Other News...
Liam McNeeley Just Entered A Hornets Battle Fans Are Watching
Liam McNeeley got a much bigger runway in the 2026 Summer League, a notable shift after a rookie season in Charlotte that offered only limited NBA minutes. For a Hornets team that spent the offseason reshaping its backcourt, the timing mattered. Trading LaMelo Ball and bringing in Coby White opened up real opportunity, and McNeeleys extended look came with the sort of stakes young players can feel even in July.
What makes this worth watching from Charlottes side is how quickly a summer performance can change the conversation around a roster spot. McNeeleys showing has at least put him in the mix for backup guard minutes behind White and Kon Knueppel, and the Hornets now have to sort out whether that Summer League role was just a temporary boost or the start of something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Suddenly Have A Real Backcourt Battle Behind Coby White
Charlottes guard picture looks a lot different heading into the 2026-27 season, with Coby White set to take over as the starting point guard and give the Hornets a steadier presence in the backcourt. White arrives with a new contract and a clear path to the lead role, which leaves the team sorting out how the minutes behind him will be handled as the roster settles into its next phase.
Sion James is in the mix for that backup job, but he is not alone. Rookie Christian Anderson and second-year guard Liam McNeeley are also pushing for the same spot, turning what might have looked like a simple depth chart into a legitimate competition. For Charlotte, the question is no longer just who backs up White, but who can earn trust early enough to matter when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Roster Crunch Just Put Several Familiar Names On Edge
The Hornets have 18 players on their offseason roster, which means the front office still has some trimming to do before opening night. The current group already gives a clear picture of where Charlotte stands, with the presumed starters and rookies forming the core and several other familiar names sitting in the middle of the roster picture as the team sorts out who fits, who sticks and who becomes movable.
A few of those decisions will come down to need as much as talent, especially with the roster already crowded and the season approaching fast. Some players look safer than others, but Charlotte is still weighing depth, versatility and future flexibility against the reality that not everyone can make the final cut, and the next move or two could say plenty about how the Hornets want this group to look when the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]