The Cleveland Cavaliers could be looking at Los Angeles Clippers center Mason Plumlee and Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid, according to Cleveland.com Cavs reporter Chris Fedor.
“The Cavs will look at veteran Mason Plumlee and 23-year-old Naz Reid,” Fedor wrote in a Tuesday edition of “Hey, Chris!” “But the cost could be prohibitive.
“Dwight Powell, Thomas Bryant, Drew Eubanks, Bismack Biyombo are other possibilities.”
A former standout from LSU, Naz Reid averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game during the 2022-23 season. He played in 68 games and started in 11 for Minnesota in his fourth season with the Timberwolves. The 6-foot-9-inch center hit 53.7% of his shot attempts and 34.6% of his tries from the 3-point line.
Mason Plumlee, a former 1st-round pick out of Duke, has played in 10 NBA seasons since he was first taken with the 22nd-overall pick by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2013 NBA Draft. He split time with the Clippers and the Charlotte Hornets last season, earning averages of 10.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 79 appearances and 60 starts between the two teams.
Mason Plumlee was in the final year of a 3-year, $25 million contract he signed with the Detroit Pistons in 2020. He had a cap hit of just over $9 million during the 2022-23 season, including an $8.53 million base salary and a $555,000 trade bonus, according to Spotrac.
The Cavs will have plenty of options with their remaining Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level and Bi-Annual exceptions, or with a team-friendly trade, during the 2023 offseason.
Both Naz Reid and Mason Plumlee will be unrestricted free agents in 2023. Centers Thomas Bryant, Dwight Powell, Drew Eubanks and Bismack Biyombo will all become unrestricted free agents if their respective teams do not choose to re-sign them. Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond is listed with a player option, while Boston Celtics center Mike Muscala is listed with a club option.
