Wolves Trade Rumors: Analysts suggests dealing Julius Randle for $20,500,000 forward
Just months ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves were a couple of wins away from reaching the NBA Finals.
Now, they're struggling to try and make the playoffs. That's not a usual turnaround for any team, but the Wolves also made a rather unusual move in the offseason.
In a shocking turn of events, they decided to salary-dump Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade with the New York Knicks. Needless to say, trading away your second-best player will take a toll on your chances of competing.
Julius Randle isn't to blame for the team's debacle, but he hasn't been a good fit next to Rudy Gobert.
With that in mind, one fan asked NBA insider Kevin O'Connor whether the Brooklyn Nets would consider taking Randle in a deal for Cam Johnson. O'Connor, however, wasn't very optimistic:
"Obviously, you need to have some picks involved in this deal here," O'Connor said. "Or there would have to be some sort of swap from Minnesota to make it appealing at all for Brooklyn. But I think, for Cam Johnson, Brooklyn could probably do better than that and would rather hold onto him. I don't see them settling for a deal like that." (21:3o)
ESPN salary cap expert Bobby Marks, who was a guest on O'Connor's podcast, agreed that the Nets might not be interested in Randle.
"I don't think Julius in Brooklyn makes sense," Marks sentenced.
Per Spotrac, Johnson is making $20 million a year, and multiple teams could find it challenging to get his deal on their books.
Even so, the Nets are reportedly looking to get two first-round picks or equivalent value in any deal for the sharpshooter.
The Timberwolves need to make a move
Even if the Timberwolves don't get Johnson, they should look to make a move. Randle is in the final year of his contract, as he has a player option worth $33 million for next season.
Teams looking to make a playoff push or to clean their salary books could look to absorb his contract, and he would benefit from signing a new deal in free agency in the offseason.
They could also look to give Rob Dillingham a longer leash. They made a big deal with the San Antonio Spurs to get him, and he's been outplaying the aging Mike Conley for the past couple of weeks.
The Timberwolves are 22-21 for the season and in the No. 9 spot in the West, and they can't afford to keep playing catch-up half way through the season.