In case it wasn’t obvious already, the New York Knicks definitely won the trade.
Julius Randle, who the Knicks traded in 2024 as part of a blockbuster deal to land now championship-winning big man Karl-Anthony Towns, is on the move again.
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This time, Randle has been traded in what is effectively a salary-dump move from Minnesota, with the Timberwolves forward dealt along with the 28th overall pick in Wednesday’s draft to Brooklyn in a three-team deal.
Minnesota acquires Brooklyn’s No. 33 pick for Randle and No. 28 as part of the deal, which also sends Nets big Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls gave up Mouhamadou Gueye as part of the deal.
According to NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan, the trade cleared $36 million of Minnesota’s payroll. The Timberwolves now have a $33 million trade exception and are $50 million below the first apron.
As for what it all means, well that became obvious a few hours later as ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Ayo Dosunmu would be signing a five-year, $112 million contract to return to Minnesota after the Timberwolves made it a “major priority” to extend him.
As for the Nets, Randle doesn’t exactly fit their timeline as a rebuilding team but the value was there in the deal and he will help them win enough games to avoid getting penalised under the new ‘3-2-1’ lottery system, which penalises the bottom three teams.
Claxton, meanwhile, adds even more length and athleticism to a Bulls team with Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue and potentially Caleb Wilson after Wednesday’s draft.
Shooting remains a question, but it is an intriguing group of players and will be lob city in the front court paired alongside a guard with Giddey’s vision and propensity to push the pace in transition.
It is the second trade of the off-season following Oklahoma City’s deal with Atlanta, with saw Aaron Wiggins shipped off to the Hawks for two second-round picks.
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