Timberwolves Dump Julius Randle. Now They Have to Prove It Was Worth It.

The Timberwolves spent a year and a half trying to make Julius Randle work next to Rudy Gobert. They made the Western Conference Finals. They beat the Nuggets in the first round this spring. Then they hit the San Antonio Spurs in Round 2 and Randle turned into a ghost: 13 points and 8 boards on 34 percent shooting. That was enough for Minnesota to pull the ripcord.

So here we are. The Timberwolves sent Randle and the 28th pick in this year’s draft to Brooklyn, got back the 33rd pick, and cleared a massive $33.3 million off their books for next season. Chicago swooped in and grabbed Nic Claxton from the Nets. The three-team deal reshuffles three rosters that are all at very different stages of their lives.

The Timberwolves bet on flexibility and Naz Reid

Minnesota didn’t trade Randle because he was bad. He averaged 20 points, 7 boards and 5 assists during his time there. That’s production. But the fit next to Gobert was always weird on paper and occasionally weird in practice. Randle likes the ball in his hands. Gobert lives off pick-and-roll dives. They never quite clicked.

The bigger issue is money. Randle has a player option for $35.8 million in 2027-28. Getting off that contract now lets Minnesota re-sign Ayo Dosunmu without sweating the luxury tax and gives them room to add depth. The Wolves were well below the tax line before this deal. Now they have breathing room.

But losing 20 points a night from your frontcourt is not nothing. Naz Reid is ready for more minutes. He’s got four years left on his deal and has shown he can score in bunches. The question is whether he can do it every night in the playoffs. Randle couldn’t. Maybe Reid can.

This grade depends entirely on what Minnesota does next week. If they fill out the roster with real pieces, dumping Randle’s contract looks smart. If they strike out in free agency, they just gave away a 20-point scorer for a late second-round pick.

Grade: B

Brooklyn takes a flier on a New York reclamation project

The Nets won 20 games last season. They are deep in a rebuild with no identity and no established star. Michael Porter Jr. is their best player right now. That tells you everything.

Adding Randle is low-risk for Brooklyn. He has two years left on his deal. If he plays well, they can flip him at the deadline. If he stinks, they let the contract expire. And honestly, Randle might be exactly what this young roster needs: a guy who’s made the playoffs every year since 2023 and knows how to carry an offense when things get ugly.

Moving up from 33 to 28 is a bonus. The Nets aren’t trying to win now. They’re trying to collect assets and build a culture. Randle gives them a floor. He gives them a guy who can drop 30 on any given night. That’s more than most 20-win teams have.

Grade: A-

Chicago finally gets a defensive anchor

The Bulls have needed a real rim protector for years. Nikola Vucevic is a good offensive center but he’s not scaring anyone at the rim. Chicago finished 22nd in defensive rating last season. That’s not terrible. It’s also not good enough.

Nic Claxton fixes that. He’s a lob threat, a switchable defender and one of the best shot-blockers in the league. Pair him with Josh Giddey in the two-man game and there’s a real pick-and-roll threat there. Claxton has two years and $44.4 million left on his contract. That’s fair value for a starting center who can actually protect the paint.

We don’t know yet what Chicago gave up to get him. That could change the grade. But on the surface, this is exactly the kind of move a team that needs defensive help should make. No fuss. No drama. Just a big body who changes shots.

Grade: B+