The University of Mississippi Athletics
Former Rebel Justin Reed Re-Signs with T'Wolves
8/2/2006 | Men's Basketball
MINNESOTA/ST. PAUL - Former Ole Miss Rebel Justin Reed re-signed with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, as announced Wednesday by Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"Justin showed us that he is a tough competitor on both ends of the floor last season," McHale said. "He is a player who can defend and has a nose for the basket."
Minnesota made a qualifying offer to Reed, a restricted free agent, on June 30, which allowed the team a "right of first refusal" that enabled it to match any offer made to the free agent by another team.
The Wolves acquired Reed on Jan. 26 in a seven-player trade with the Boston Celtics. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 6.3 points (.425 FG%), 2.4 rebounds and 17.7 minutes for the Wolves in 40 contests (six starts) last season. Reed led the Wolves with 14 points, a career-high eight rebounds and three steals on April 11 at Memphis. He tallied a career-high 18 points on April 7 vs. Utah. Reed scored in double-digits on eight occasions and grabbed five-plus rebounds six times.
The Jackson, Miss., native was taken by the Celtics with the 40th overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft and was the first SEC player drafted. Reed has averaged 3.9 points (.414 FG%), 1.5 rebounds and 11.8 minutes per game in his two-year NBA career with Boston and Minnesota. As a rookie with the Celtics in 2004-05, he scored a season-best 13 points on Feb. 8 at Milwaukee.
Reed wrapped up his Ole Miss career as the first Rebel to earn All-SEC honors all four years and the first two-time Wooden Award candidate from a Mississippi college. He finished fifth at Ole Miss in career scoring and sixth in rebounding and was the SEC scoring champion as a senior, averaging 18.5 points-per-game.
