Would this trade make sense for the Minnesota Timberwolves?
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, this trade should (in theory) cement them as a playoff team. Sure, Julius Randle isn’t the same player he was last year, but they could really use some help at the forward position, and in the grand scheme of things, Randle has plenty of time to turn things around.
The frontcourt pairing of Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns would be great. This would allow Randle to spend less time on the perimeter and more time in the mid-range and in the paint. Since Towns is such an elite perimeter threat, Randle wouldn’t have to be.
Losing D’Angelo Russell might not seem ideal, but they would still have a decent guard rotation. Patrick Beverley, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley, and the new;y-acquired Kemba Walker. That would be just fine for this season.
Their starting lineup would still look solid, too. In theory, it would be Beverley, Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, Randle, and Towns. Vanderbilt at the three is weird, but with both Randle and Towns being (decent) perimeter threats, the Wolves could get away with having him there.
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Even with Randle playing at his current level, this trade would still be solid for the Wolves. He wouldn’t have to take on anywhere close to the same offensive load in Minnesota that he does in New York, and that’d probably be good for him. As long as Towns and Russell’s friendship doesn’t block the deal, this wouldn’t be a bad trade to consider.
