The Minnesota Timberwolves will be active prior to the NBA trade deadline next month. Expectations were high coming into the season after reaching the Conference Finals last season.
At this moment, that is not a realistic expectation for the Wolves’ roster. Unless they make a big move before the deadline.
To address this, a proposed trade could send forward Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for forwards Cameron Johnson and Ziaire Williams.
Since acquiring Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Knicks have been the clear winner. While DiVincenzo has been playing well since entering the starting lineup, Randle is still struggling. This trade could benefit both teams. One team is building to win now, the other is rebuilding for the future.
From this trade, Minnesota gets some much-needed scoring help alongside star Anthony Edwards. Johnson is leading the Nets in scoring, but they’re nowhere near a playoff team. Essentially, they’re a team that is preparing for the draft and free agency. The addition of Williams gives the Wolves more versatility in their frontcourt.
This trade gives the Nets a strong power forward option. After trading away Dorian Finney-Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers, it has left the Nets thin in the frontcourt. The addition of Randle brings some versatility to the group. Because most of Randle’s struggles have been adjusting to playing alongside Rudy Gobert, he could once again be the main big man in the post in Brooklyn. More than likely, the Nets would be looking for some future draft capital added to the proposed deal as well.
Both the Wolves and Nets are expected to be active prior to the deadline coming up next month. Because they’ll both be active, that makes this trade or any other between the teams an even stronger possibility. Wolves get scoring help; Nets build to reshape their roster.
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