He returned at the start of the Spring semester but was later "administratively withdrawn" by the university for failing to meet the terms of his reinstatement as a student.

[1] In April 2011, Reed declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

[11] On March 28, 2014, he signed with the Sacramento Kings for the rest of the season, but was immediately assigned to the Reno Bighorns.

[27] However, on July 9, he left the Heat's summer league team and signed a one-year, $500,000 contract with the Brooklyn Nets.

[28][29] On October 14, Reed suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb in a preseason game against the Boston Celtics[30] and underwent surgery to repair it, leaving him out of action for six to eight weeks.

[31] On December 4, Reed made his long-awaited NBA debut, recording eight points in 11 minutes against the New York Knicks.

[39][40] On January 29, 2018, Reed, along with Blake Griffin and Brice Johnson, was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanović, a future protected first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick.

[41][42] On February 6, 2018, Reed was suspended by the NBA for six games without pay as a result of a domestic violence incident involving his wife on August 5, 2017.

[43] Two days later, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls alongside future second-round draft considerations in exchange for Jameer Nelson.

[45] On October 20, 2018, Reed was selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA G League Draft by the Salt Lake City Stars.

[49] On January 22, 2020, Reed was acquired by the Salt Lake City Stars, returning to the franchise for a second stint.

[55] On February 5, 2024, the Tainan TSG GhostHawks terminated the contract relationship with Reed due to health consideration.