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Lakers Should Take Advantage of Timberwolves Upcoming Roster Issues

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Matt Levine | Last updated May 29, 2025 12:58 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first round of the NBA playoffs. But as the team gets ready for the upcoming offseason, Minnesota could go from playoff rival to potential roster savior.

With the Timberwolves being eliminated from the playoffs in the conference finals, they will also be entering a crucial offseason. Due to the way the roster is set up for Minnesota, it seems that there could be some changes coming.

If the Timberwolves can't keep the core together, Los Angeles should look to strike. ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst explained the situation around the Timberwolves entering the offseason.

“Well I don’t think they can keep this team together. The core they can but… so Julius Randle’s a free agent. Nickeil Alexander Walker is a free agent and Naz Reid is a free agent. He has an opt out which I’m sure he’s going to take. Ant’s contract is very large… I would be surprised if they were able to re-sign all three guys.”

Brian Windhorst doesn’t think the Timberwolves can keep Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker:

“Well I don’t think they can keep this team together. The core they can but… so Julius Randle’s a free agent. Nickeil Alexander Walker is a free agent and Naz Reid is a… pic.twitter.com/hABrDy1hAI
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 29, 2025

Alexander-Walker and Reid are two players that the Lakers could be interested in. Reid is a player that Los Angeles has been interested in for a long time, but his market could exceed the price for the Lakers.

Reid is the perfect player to enter into the system that head coach JJ Redick runs, as he spaces the floor and plays defense. For the year, Reid averaged 14.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game.

But the big man also shot 37.9 percent from beyond the three-point line. For the Lakers to land him, they would likely need to execute a sign-and-trade, but that could hard-cap them, potentially limiting anything else for the roster.

As for Alexander-Walker, he could help shore up the wing depth that is lacking on the Lakers' roster. For the year, he averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.6 steals per game. The wing also shot 38.1 percent from distance this season.

Either way, the Lakers could benefit from going after either of these two players. They would likely need to trade for them, but Minnesota could be an interesting option as a trade partner this offseason.

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This article first appeared on FanNation All Lakers and was syndicated with permission.

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