Magic Poised to Poach Timberwolves Star Free Agent: Report

A trio of critical contributors to the Minnesota Timberwolves could hit free agency this summer.

2024 Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, who is clearly convinced he deserves to start in this league, has a $15 million player option he seems likely to decline, knowing he can earn more on the open market.

Three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, who put on a two-way clinic through the first two rounds of the playoffs only to turn into a pumpkin in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, has a $30.9 million player option.

Seventh man shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, meanwhile, is an unrestricted free agent, and his abilities as an intriguing 3-and-D option could earn him a raise.

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Other franchises could be interested in Alexander-Walker’s services, writes Marc Stein of The Stein Line on his Substack.

Stein pinpoints the Orlando Magic, specifically, as a team that could look to bring a seasoned vet of Alexander-Walker’s ability aboard.

“The reality, though, is that Alexander-Walker is bound to generate the most significant external interest of the three — especially coming off a season in which he earned just $4.3 million,” Stein notes. “Next season’s full midlevel exception will be worth more than three times what Alexander-Walker made last season at $14.1 million … with rumbles already in circulation that Orlando is a team to watch as a potential suitor.”

Alexander-Walker has emerged on the national hoops stage thanks to his key contributions during the Timberwolves’ two consecutive Western Conference Finals runs since last season.

His first name even came under fire by (a presumably mostly joking) Charles Barkley on TNT.

“Is his real name Nickeil?” Barkley joked during a recent broadcast. “Boy, somebody just made up some stuff again… They named him after a coin—they just spelled it wrong.”

Per longtime NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, Alexander-Walker revealed the origins of his first name.

“My mom’s name is Nicole and my dad’s name is Nicholas,” Alexander-Walker said. “My mom originally wanted to name me Khalil; she had a friend who had a baby named Khalil maybe a year or a couple months before I was born, and so, my grandmother just named me Nickeil. And you know, my grandmother’s very close in my life.”

The world certainly knows his name now, even if it’s still learning the origins of that name.

During the playoffs, the 6-foot-5 swingman averaged 8.3 points on a semi-inefficient .389/.349/.882 slash line, 2.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per. He’s a solid player on both sides of the ball, and could help bolster the Magic’s perimeter depth.

“Honestly, I felt a little slighted at first,” Alexander-Walker said. “It was a little disrespectful because I take pride in who I am, and my name is part of my identity. Knowing that it was given to me from people who I care about a lot, means a lot.”

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