Timberwolves trade Julius Randle on eve of NBA Draft: Report
Julius Randle compares Ant to Kobe
Timberwolves forward Julius Randle spoke with media members on Thursday as the team's season came to an end. Randle, who once played alongside Kobe Bryant with the Lakers, says he sees a similar mentality in Anthony Edwards.
(FOX 9) - The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly moving on from Julius Randle as part of a trade being reported by ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania.
Timberwolves trade Julius Randle
What we know:
Charania says the Timberwolves are sending Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade that sends Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls, sources tell ESPN.
As part of the deal, the Timberwolves will acquire Brooklyn’s No. 33 pick for Randle.
The backstory:
The move follows the massive, franchise-altering three-team trade made in October 2024 that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, where he later became an NBA champion this season.
As part of that trade, the Timberwolves received Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a 2025 first-round pick (via Detroit), which became the No. 28 pick in this year's draft.
The move signifies an end of a short-lived era for Randle in Minnesota, and a signal that the Timberwolves will look to move in another direction at power forward.
What's next:
It's entirely possible the trade is just part of a larger one being worked on by the Timberwolves' president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly.