Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly had interest in Naz Reid

Naz Reid just re-upped with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a three-year deal. That contract kept him from hitting the open market this summer.

Had he hit the open market, the Cleveland Cavaliers would have been one of the team’s interested in Reid. That’s from Yahoo’s Jake Fischer:

Another team that wanted to be in the mix for Reid was Allen’s Cavaliers, sources said. Cleveland would have needed a sign-and-trade avenue to acquire the talented big man. It remains to be seen if the Cavs will continue searching for other frontcourt reserve options behind Allen and Evan Mobley, or if the front office simply valued Reid that highly.

Reid, 23, had the best season of his career last year for the Wolves. As Fischer notes, this would have had to have been a sign-and-trade because Reid surely would have commanded more than the mid-level exception (the max Cleveland can offer any free agent) on the open market. What that would have looked like is unclear, but perhaps would have consisted of second round picks and salary (maybe Dean Wade, maybe Cedi Osman) going back to the Wolves.

Reid also is a level above other frontcourt options the Cavs could pursue in free agency. There are upgrades over Robin Lopez available — Mason Plumlee, Thomas Bryant, Dwight Powell, etc. — on the open market. But Reid, at his age, is the player with the most upside and is the best shooter of the bunch. There’s not really another player like him out on the market; Bryant is probably the closest and a dollar store version at that.

So what are the Cavs looking for on the market in looking for a big? Is it real production to put in the rotation or was their interest in Reid just about them being interested in a good player?