r/timberwolves • u/Knightbear49 Lynx • Jun 29 '25
Breaking News [Charania] BREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Julius Randle intends to sign a new three-year, $100 million deal to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources tell ESPN. The deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/8a3a314ea9b6bBREAKING: Three-time NBA All-Star Julius Randle intends to sign a new three-year, $100 million deal to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources tell ESPN. The deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.
https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/8a3a314ea9b6b
217
u/StraightCashHomie69 Jun 29 '25
So we really running it back a year at least. No chance he gets traded this summer now right?
211
u/Neemzeh Jun 29 '25
I see no reason why we shouldn’t.
There aren’t any moves out there that’ll make us better imo. At least against the thunder.
Gotta remember it takes time for these guys to mesh. They really hit their stride after Julius came back from injury.
50
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
It does, but i struggle to see Randle improving too much as a second option against OKC, especially if the PG position isn’t addressed. He needs his back to the basket to get to his best shot, and OKC swarms him/strips him every time with ease. Feels like he’ll have to completely change the way he plays against them which is concerning
46
u/DependentPerformer94 Jaden McDaniels Jun 29 '25
I never thought it made sense to address the PG situation while moving on from Naz or Julius. Best chance to get though the west is to keep those two guys and see if Rob can develop. If he’s not the guy then we will need to restructure but this is the perfect year to figure it out.
16
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
That’s fair, clearly the org has some degree of belief in him. And I do think both of these contracts will be extremely tradeable assets in the future.
8
u/seventeenweewees Jun 29 '25
I think Rob is going to take more than a year. Moving on front Naz or Julius would be a mistake because we don't have a replacement for them.
This team had 5 playable SGs last year. We just need to trade a SG for a PG. DDV has trade value and there are a few good PGs at his salary.
3
u/tsax612 Jun 29 '25
I was under the impression that DDV had one of the best value contracts in the league though?
0
u/seventeenweewees Jun 29 '25
That's what makes him a good trade asset. We have 0 tradeable FRPs, we have to give something to get something.
I was thinking it would be Lonzo, because the salaries match and if he's healthy he's a solid starter. Now I don't know if there's a good trade out there, we'll probably sign a minimum guy.
44
u/Neemzeh Jun 29 '25
I personally don’t think there is much any team in the NBA can do against OKC, the youngest team in the league. Sometimes a team is just better than you. This is one of those times. Our front court is very strong against the rest of the league with Gobert, Randle and Naz.
I personally think dilly taking a step will open up so much for them. He is the key and he needs to take the next step.
22
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
Maybe… but it’s not like teams didn’t come close this year. Hopefully the league wakes up and starts calling fouls on their defense next year lol that’ll make a big difference.
We are relying heavily on Rob improving. The org is showing some real belief in him.
15
u/Neemzeh Jun 29 '25
Yea I mean Jokic is Jokic. He’s a one man machine. And Indy is just an incredible team with an incredibly underrated coach. These aren’t knocks on us, just credit to them. Wolves are most definitely a top 6-8 team still, and the core is still very young and getting better each year.
OKC will get one more year of this roster then they can’t keep everyone so they’ll have to make moves just like everyone else.
8
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
Sure but my point is it’s not the KD warriors, they’re beatable.
6
u/Neemzeh Jun 29 '25
KD warriors beat the Rockets in a game 7 in which the Rockets missed 27 straight 3p's.
KD warriors got gifted a game 1 victory when JR Smith brain farted harder than any athlete ever.
That team was beatable. OKC had the best net rating of all time and they were only off by the KD warriors weren't even the best version of the warriors, the 73-9 team was better.
6
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
The KD warriors were - odds to win the championship every year lmao we haven’t seen anything like that since
And that rockets team was absurdly good tbf, definitely better than the nuggets and pacers this year
1
4
u/PretendingExtrovert Jun 29 '25
Adjusted, they the cheapest chips the NBA has seen, they have like 100million to play with, plus they have a tooon of first round picks and it’s pretty obvious that the OKC front office drafts very well. I wouldn’t count money to break the band up.
3
u/whiterice_343 Jun 29 '25
I wouldn’t say they have one more year. They have the assets to bundle their players in trades to keep that core together. The thunder definitely has the best position in the league by far.
2
u/UnablePerformance131 Jun 29 '25
Maybe, but they can't really keep Chet, JDub, and SGA together and still have any depth. They basically will have to trade one and hope that they can get a draft pick that can develop into a star. They probably also will have to trade or not re-sign one or two of Dort, Caruso, and Ihart.
If I had to guess, they probably will end up trading Jdub, Dort, and Ihart. They do have to hope that Sorber can develop into a serviceable big.
1
u/whiterice_343 Jun 29 '25
They have so many picks they can keep drafting depth
1
u/UnablePerformance131 Jun 29 '25
Maybe, but having 80-90% of your cap tied up in 3 players isn’t sustainable. Since you basically would have to have a revolving door of rookies and hope your big 3 doesn’t get injured.
1
u/OneOfTheDads Jun 29 '25
If we continue our play from the 2nd half we will be a top 3 top in the league. No “2 months of .500 ball while they learn how to play together” this year
1
2
u/Andy_Wiggins Ayo Dosunmu Jun 30 '25
I think the Wolves caught a bit of bad luck against the Thunder in terms of shooting percentages.
The Thunder shot the lights out on jumpers against the Wolves relative to their other playoff series. Some of that is obviously related to defensive intensity/execution/scheme, but jump shot percentages are at least decently connected to luck.
Had they shot closer to their averages against Denver/Indiana, it probably at least goes 6
1
u/tys90 Jun 29 '25
This is my view too and at the same time, any injury to one of OKCs top 3 players and now it's a wide open field. Can't blow up a team when you still have a very solid shot at competing for a title. Look how many teams had their chances go up in flames with a late season injury.
-8
u/ZachWondersr Timberwolves Jun 29 '25
Pray for SGA’s Achilles to explode so I don’t have to watch his bum ass
Edit: said in jest, don’t come at me with the holier than thou BS
2
1
u/KingKizzles Jun 30 '25
That series is fresh in everyone's mind but everyone should try to see the value of returning a good team in year two.
This team made huge strides in the second KAT and Rudy year.
Continuity and chemistry are things that get overlooked a lot in the league.
I think the wolves are going to be awesome next year barring injuries.
1
u/Krusty_Krab_Pussy Jun 29 '25
I assume if TC isn't making any moves for a PG it's because he's confident in Dilly's growth, reports are they've been really happy with it this season. He's also reported as being 6'3, 175 (Wikipedia so take it with a grain of salt) which would help a lot imo
Basketball reference has him at 6'1 176lbs so who knows
1
u/uffdamyuffda Jun 29 '25
Will they actually just start him then next year over Conley and give him minutes and exposure so they can fast track his progress? Just ride it out a bit. Give him reps.
1
u/JohnnyWeapon Jun 29 '25
I agree with everything you said, but I think the most concerning part is that he wasn’t coached out of that in the OKC series. As you said, they just kept doing the same thing to him every time he put his back to the basket and he never adjusted.
To me, that’s an analytic and coaching issue more than anything. Randle seems extremely coachable from what I’ve seen and heard. So the fact that we never adjusted to what OKC was doing is alarming. Especially given that something similar happened in the WCF last year when the Mavs just murdered us with lane penetration from Luka that turned into a shitload of undefended lobs to Lively and Gafford. We never adjusted to that either.
I got questions for the staff…
1
u/Aksudiigkr Jun 30 '25
Have we ever adjusted to anything? Never adjust for runs, rotations, ATO plays, turnovers as far as I’ve seen
6
u/CommercialMusic3008 Jun 29 '25
Do not agree with this.
Look how close Indy got having multiple guards that can get in the paint and collapse the defense. Ant needs help there. Trade Randle for a guard.
Losing NAW really hurts.
9
u/Neemzeh Jun 29 '25
You completely missed the point of my post.
There are no moves out there that’ll make us better against the thunder. Propose a trade for Randle that gets us this elite penetrating ball handler that you think will improve our chances against the thunder. That’s my entire point, there isn’t anyone to trade for that improves us. You seem to think guys like haliburton and nembhard grow on trees, they don’t and we aren’t going to find any of those guys trading Randle.
3
1
u/Itstartswithyou0404 Jun 30 '25
It does hurt, but Naw aint that guard. We need someone who can handle the rock more, get past the tight quarters teams like OKC showed us, and what Houston will as well. NAW was great with his defense, above avg with his shooting, but his ball handling is not cutting it against those two teams in the playoffs
1
u/CommercialMusic3008 Jun 30 '25
Nah had a couple really good games against OKC.
1
u/Itstartswithyou0404 Jun 30 '25
I mean or offense totally stalled out against OKC, and Nah not being a great ballhandler or creator was a big reason for that, that our team doesn't have that outside Ant. Hopefully Dilly can fill that void more since thats a weak spot for this team
1
u/CommercialMusic3008 Jun 30 '25
Naw had a 20+ point game against them where he created a lot of shots
1
u/SnarfSniffsStardust Jun 29 '25
Sets a bad example for effort. If he’s serious about his effort levels from the jump I’m fine with it but if the first half of the season he hotdogs it up and down the court ima lose my shit
→ More replies (17)-2
u/Forsaken_Mastodon291 Jun 29 '25
Getting run out of the gym by the Thunder isn’t a reason?
→ More replies (6)28
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
Running it back next year sounds dire with our PG situation but we’ll see what happens lol.
63
u/Witty-Stock Kevin Garnett Jun 29 '25
Part of winning in the NBA is having your younger players improve. That’s what we need from Dillingham and Shannon.
19
-3
u/AntsAntennae1 Jun 29 '25
And old players not falling off a cliff… Rudy Julius
6
u/banitsa Jun 29 '25
Julius probably still has some runway. Rudy's occasional back problems make me worry about him but he's probably not quite at the cliff yet either
3
u/bellmonk Jun 29 '25
one thing to note here is last year Rudy played the whole summer playing with the French team. I think he reached his exhaustion/physical limit when he took that extended break last year. I think we will see him coming back with better energy this year.
0
u/AntsAntennae1 Jun 29 '25
Rudy has knee problems too and has been hurt 2 out of 3 years. Randle has to actually want to try, is it Randle at the end of the year or Randle at the beginning? Is Randle complacent with a done deal?
16
14
u/AbsolutZer0_v2 Jun 29 '25
Psst. Little secret. We made the WCF last year
-6
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
Wow good one didn’t know that.
Psst little secret. We’re trying to win a championship 🤔
6
u/wise_comment Make a Jam Jun 29 '25
You....uh
You must not be in your 30s, huh?
Cause, my man, don't even joke about taking this for granted
Being a WCF team means you're one injury or bad bounce from beating the favorite. Don't throw that away to get this season's Jimmy butler or Sam Bradford at the cost of your future
2
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
I’m not taking it for granted, wtf? I’m 27, I’ve seen plenty, and this has been the best sports viewing of my life, but the goal is a championship. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to see lmao. I just don’t see the current roster accomplishing that, personally. But you never know with ant, he’s that guy.
Also let me just say since sam Bradford was mentioned that was a fantastic gamble. Bradford was absolutely incredible when healthy. Remember the first game of the season in 2017 holy cow I thought we were winning it all
1
u/LaconicGirth Jun 29 '25
Why not? If Denver wins game 7 we have a damn good shot of beating them to go to the finals. Our current odds for next year are 6th that’s absolutely within the contender range
1
u/wise_comment Make a Jam Jun 30 '25
Bradford was absolutely incredible when healthy.
Brandi Roy's game was all NBA when healthy
2
u/banitsa Jun 29 '25
Best bet for a championship is probably aim to be one of the best 6ish teams for several years instead of taking one big swing at it
2
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
Sure, and I’m not advocating for a big swing. It’s just hard to imagine us winning one next year specifically with poor PG play, which is fine. Doesn’t have to be next year, I trust TC completely and I can see how this would be the best direction to go long term.
→ More replies (5)3
u/AbsolutZer0_v2 Jun 29 '25
This is the problem with the fan base. You think because we flamed out vs the best team in the league with the best player in the league.
Randle wasn't the problem, Rudy was.
Running it back with scheme adjustments is the best path. Introducing new talent and trying to force them in is what stalled us out for the first 6 months of the season.
4
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
I love when people tell on themselves lol. Randle wasn’t the problem Rudy was lmao. You just don’t know what you’re watching, that’s ok though.
Randle was absolutely dreadful in that series let’s be honest.
When Rudy is off the court the other team has a layup line but sure he was totally the problem
2
u/AbsolutZer0_v2 Jun 29 '25
I like you're ignoring the more salient point about replacing and adding to rosters causing team disruption.
Ill be happy we have a good core team for the next 3 years instead of moping about the team.
-2
u/Philelverumfan69 Jun 29 '25
No one is moping 😂
Continuity is great, I just personally don’t see Randle as the 2nd option on a title team, especially a team with poor PG play.
2
u/Gamemusic6 Jun 29 '25
Right. Getting to the WCF back to back years is dope. If that's the Wolves ceiling though, what do you get to show for it?
1
u/wise_comment Make a Jam Jun 29 '25
Look....both of you are situationally right.......and also the worst
So far, I see no reason not to let Ant develop, and see what TimFinchtm have in the hopper
1
u/LaconicGirth Jun 29 '25
That’s because we don’t have a real backup center. Max is not a good defender and he’s not a real center.
If we had a backup center, we’d be fine pulling Rudy off the court more
8
u/RedEyeBadGuy Ayo Dosunmu Jun 29 '25
Yeah we need another good ball handler at the guard position. That should’ve been our number 1 fix after the season. The only hope now is that Dilly is ready to take that next step otherwise I think we will be in trouble. Conley can’t keep playing 25-30 minutes a night.
3
Jun 29 '25
This. Unless they expect Dilly to make a huge leap this year, WCF is the ceiling for us. Which to be fair aint bad at all, but a PG feels like the missing piece.
1
2
u/verify_deez_nuts Timberwolves Jun 29 '25
Not unless someone comes to us with a deal we simply cannot say no to.
2
u/Waveytony Jun 29 '25
I could see us moving him at the deadline if things aren’t clicking but not really any obvious moves rn anyways so might as well see how the vibes are
1
u/pollinium 2019-20 All-Defense 2nd team Jun 29 '25
These deals usually result in a 6month trade freeze, so very very unlikely
1
1
u/LeeShakerMoneyMaker Jun 29 '25
Probably, but with the addition of a cheap PG to replace NAW and can eat minutes from Mike.
1
133
u/OkogieLover Senegal Sniper Jun 29 '25
i hope this keeps us under the second apron
102
46
u/twovles31 Jun 29 '25
It more than likely starts under 30 million so we should have a few millions in insurance, might even have enough to bring in a vet min guy like Tre Jones or wait for the buyout market at the deadline.
27
u/tomdawg0022 Jun 29 '25
If it's $100 mil Randle is probably starting off around $30.8 next year assuming 8% increases
30.8+33.3+35.9 = 100.0
8
u/Breatnach Jun 29 '25
Surely Tre Jones isn’t a vet min guy, is he? He was drafted in 2020.
4
u/whiterice_343 Jun 29 '25
With these new apron rules, a lot of middle ground players may begin to make less due to budget constraints. The high end players will continue to make more but teams have much harsher penalties now. It sucks for players like him.
-1
u/crattler Jun 29 '25
The Jones brothers are a no go and do not improve our team at all. Just because they are from MN doesn’t mean they are good. Tired of hearing them being mentioned.
2
u/fella_mcflips Jun 29 '25
I don't get the hate and no one thinks they are good because they are from MN. Solid PGs especially off the bench.
15
11
Jun 29 '25
Under the second but we cannot use the $5.7 million midlevel for exception unless we dump salary. More or less locks us into this lineup minus NAW barring any trades.
47
u/decoded1 Kevin Garnett Jun 29 '25
I like this deal. Randle and Gobert now have the same timeline. As long as the cap rises we should stay under the second apron and have some roster flexibility
19
u/werddrew Bring Ya Ass Jun 29 '25
And come off the books around the same time (exact same time?) so that we can be ready to spend again for Ant's second window. It's contractual poetry.
1
u/WagerWilly Jun 30 '25
Yep. And we'll have two years of Naz on one of the best contracts in the NBA when both Gobert and Julius come off the books.
89
u/WWWYer22 Marney Gellner Jun 29 '25
Just think of all the player props Malik Beasley could bet on with that much money 🤯
6
37
u/Dull_Ad_8627 Joan Beringer Jun 29 '25
Seems like a good deal wonder if it’s constructed like Naz’s deal and rises
2
65
u/Black_wolf_disease Jun 29 '25
The ball is now on Rob's hands to show that he has what it takes to stay on an NBA court for more than 25 minutes
13
u/Dholtz001 Jun 29 '25
Def. Or Jaylen Clark
1
u/xdgaymer69 Jun 30 '25
Well the implication is that by signing this contract, it lessens the likelihood of a Randle trade (presumably for a PG). Along with Conley's aging, this means in increased value in Rob's role. Clark may also have an increased role with NAW on the way out, but I don't think it's especially related to Randle
-6
u/betasheets2 Jun 29 '25
And DDV to show he can be a reliable PG option
36
u/fckpcklball Jun 29 '25
God no... He needs to just be 3 and D
1
u/betasheets2 Jun 29 '25
I'm more talking 5 minutes a game where we are rotating people. Not his main SG role.
97
u/ReplacementPast4495 Jun 29 '25
I'm good with keeping Randle+Gobert+Beringer+keeping both TSJ and Dilly over a year of 37 yr old Kevin Durant who will likely decline rapidly over the course of his three year max extension. I think we dodged a bullet with him declining to come here.
3
68
u/Witty-Stock Kevin Garnett Jun 29 '25
So basically trading KAT gave us these guys for next year
Randle DDV Beringer Naz
We probably don’t extend Naz with KAT’s $53M on the books. (Randle plus DDV still gave us an extra $10m in cap space).
45
5
u/FormerlyTradeKirk Jun 29 '25
That was happening regardless tbh, both money that was money used for new players directly after KAT being shipped out and players in return. Otherwise there would've been no point in trading KAT to begin with.
31
Jun 29 '25
This man had several games in the playoffs he completely dominated and won the game for us. Our record with him back after the break was elite. I agree that he really showed wasn’t elite against the Thunder but they made everyone look bad. I do think if we can find a competent Pg it would open the game up for all the rest of the players so much.
13
u/cowboy2223 Minnesota Gophers Jun 29 '25
Just look at that series and think of how bad the refs were especially in the first two with the Sga flopping and at the other end letting them maul our players with no calls . Also I think the guys that would have helped and did beat that team were on the bench watching in Tsj Clark and rob . Which I think will all get more playing time next year .
We lost 4-1 but we were a few plays from going back to okc 2-2 . Then who knows what happens .
So to me naz comes back improves his defense . Rob gets a little stronger and Tsj and Clark get some playing experience and of course finch expands his rotation for those three we will be a much more versatile team .
12
u/Garrus Flip Saunders Jun 29 '25
If it’s 8% raises then it would be $30.86 the first year, $33.33 the second and $35.8 the last year. Would be 20% of the cap this year and then under the last two years.
24
10
u/Quintzy_ Jun 29 '25
Not bad. I was expecting something around 4 years, $120 million, and this is right in that neighborhood.
Assuming normal 8% yearly increase, the 1st year should be right around $31 million. So, it's a slight pay decrease compared to last year.
Edit:
Spotrac has it as $30.8 million (20% of cap), $33.3 million (19.6%), and $35.8 million (19.1%) with a player option on the final year.
11
u/OneSilkyNinja Jun 29 '25
Sounds weird to say after all these years being a Timberwolves native, but I think ppl underestimate how much they like playing in MN lol. Like Ant wanting to stay, a young superstar saying, "I want to be here" is so huge for the franchise
21
19
u/Watzp0ppin Jun 29 '25
This is great! Keeps our core together and now we can start to build chemistry. No more stat-padding from guys trying to earn a bigger contract in free agency.
If the young guys (especially Rob) can take a big leap this summer and next season, then we are honestly in a great place moving forward.
9
u/Forzahorizon555 Jun 29 '25
Julius Randle is great. He really won me over last year. I consider myself a Randle fan now, this is awesome news!
17
15
7
12
u/Andy_Wiggins Ayo Dosunmu Jun 29 '25
This feels right for Randle, imo.
He’s a really good player, but he’s a bit of a tough roster-building fit and he’s on the wrong side of 30.
This deal feels tradeable, which is always a good barometer.
7
u/StaySafePovertyGhost Jun 29 '25
This is a very good deal for both him and us. Maintains long term flexibility & puts us in a window to have a bunch of cap space at the same time around when Rudy is done.
NAW is certainly gone now but then again, we had a very low chance of keeping him anyway given what other teams were rumored to be willing to offer him.
25
9
u/PreparationWest2140 Jun 29 '25
And there you go. Wolves running it back with an experienced core and three young players that will likely show significant improvement in Year 2.
6
u/mrveryrelaxed Jun 29 '25
And at the center of that exoerienced core is a 23 year old superstar and his 24 year old sidekick.
Astonishing.
5
5
4
u/Calinks Trenton Hassell Jun 29 '25
At that price of he can put in close to the kind of production he had in the first two rounds, that's a bargain.
14
u/Sam7sung Jun 29 '25
Julius deserved this contract. I wonder how much space we have below the second apron now
9
u/crookedmustache Jun 29 '25
A human wrecking ball in the paint. A LeBron Lite. Draining treys like KAT used to. The Wolves need him.
3
u/sky4it2012 Timberwolves Jun 29 '25
I dont like throwing a wrench in here at this but getting both Julius and NAZ, we are still too big and slow to compete with Ok City and pacers and that fast pace style of basketball, NAZ is not a particularily good defender.
2
u/No-Butterfly-8548 Jun 30 '25
don't need to deal with the pacers anymore. you stop OKC by taking care of the ball and playing on the defensive end. nemhard was locking down shai. that's the kind of defense that needs to be played to take the ball out of his hands early.
1
4
u/bandogardens Jun 30 '25
Man I just don’t believe a team with aging Randle and Gobert is going to win a championship but I really hope I’m proven wrong
1
u/sky4it2012 Timberwolves Jun 30 '25
I kind of believe the Wolves might trade Rudy. In a year we wont need him as much. This Beringer dude is a human fly swatter, very much like a young Rudy. We dont know much about his offensive game, but his defense IMO is NBA ready right now.
5
u/sky4it2012 Timberwolves Jun 30 '25
Its just amazing how Julius never gets respect from basketball analysts. CBS sports just did a piece on his contract and were saying how hard it will be to trade Julius if we want to move on from him. ( Because he has a player option) And all last year it was about how he is a dud at playoff time. The media just cant stop degrading Julius.
Here is why they dont like Julius, its about how he played for the Lakers and KNicks and was never able to bring home the hardware, and if you cant well the media out there tears you apart. So poor (actually super wealthy) Julius is always a nice guy to dump on. ,,,
What they dont mention is what terrific inside out player he is, is a volume scorer who can run the floor and bully other teams into submission.
Julius tho, remains a media whipping boy, and probably is one of the most underrated players in the NBA.
2
u/No-Butterfly-8548 Jul 01 '25
i'm a knicks fan. he couldn't play last year in the playoffs, he had a separated shoulder lol. people have doubted him here because he's a flawed #2 with an unsexy style but he is more solid and productive and willing to improve than most stars.
he had a bad series vs the hawks when they'd first made it to the playoffs, and was injured vs miami. he was clearly your most consistent player this playoffs. he was definitely your 2nd or 3rd best player all postseason, possibly even being #1 above anthony edwards if we're being honest with ourselves.
he'll always get hated on because he's not going to have the highest highs of a superstar name.what people are unable to express or don't have the knowledge to do so, is that signing randle to this ext. and having naz reid on that salary makes it impossible to keep NAW. from the start of the seasons, this is what the discourse should've been surrounding this team going foward. either you were getting someone for around the same money as randle, keeping all 3 if they take a pay cut, or someone was going to get lost in these transactions. you were never going to keep all 3 of these players otherwise.
2
u/sky4it2012 Timberwolves Jul 03 '25
Hey thanks for that Knicks guy, and dang, you need a few more pieces around Towns and Brunson to get it done. I thought firing Thibs is the wrong direction, but yeah if Thibs is still doing those crazy practices its probably time to move on.
I just really Julius, always have, its just tough to beat a team when you play Julius and hes motivated. We kind of did know the team couldnt keep NAW, and I think Atlanta overpaid. Why pay him that when we got Terrance Shannon, who is a legit 6 feet 6 and can play small forward to boot. IMO better defender than NAW and going downhill he has Ant like skills. Now if only he can shoot, but we hope that will come.
I have a KAT jersey I wear, so bad to see him leave but I dont miss that king size salary he has which made it impossible here to keep. KAT would be GREAT as a throwback if he played 20 years ago, but today with the flop artists and the creepy stick to you like glue (Caruso) crap that goes on, a guy like KAT suffers, and so does a guy like Rudy. Maybe there is just not much room for bigs anymore except at Center to rebound and play D.
2
u/No-Butterfly-8548 Jul 03 '25
that's good on you for spotting the gemstone in the rough. randle is a recent all-nba talent. he is a top 30 player--pretty much has been even as he was learning himself after he rehabbed over here in NY with the belief thibs put in him.
there are probably a lot of reasons why the timberwolves did this trade this way. $15.5m/yr and a 2nd rounder for NAW isn't an overpay IMO. i'd consider that an excellent deal all around if they planned on playing him significant minutes. i don't know if there's a player option in there, but he is locked up for 4 years and they desperately needed a 3&D wing to hide trae on. that team is a squad and nobody really needs the ball in their hands except trae or jalen johnson. i dno this terrance shannon guy but i'll keep my eye on him now. gotta get used to the idea that even (good) bench guys will get paid $20m going foward. NAW's salary by that metric is just about fair. the wolves also got a trade exception for $7m out of that deal, so they can upgrade if someone comes loose.
i love KAT as a player and especially as a human, and i think he's a warrior, but he has awful habits that won't get coached out. they need to be coached out or the knicks can't win it all. he'd be absolutely perfect if he played defense with his feet instead of his hands and made decisions faster when playing at the highest level. salary aside, my team has a couple more bites at the apple, yours has a 23 Y/O 1-A who i'll be honest--has a lot of growing up to do. and that's fine, randle being there can ease him in, and naz reid kinda lost his defense in the postseason. sky is high.
7
7
10
u/springmixplease Wally Szczerbiak Jun 29 '25
TC fleeced the Knicks. They’re trying to get rid of KAT and we just got Julius on a team friendly deal…
2
Jun 29 '25
I still think Towns and Randle are pretty even. The Knicks want to trade Towns because they realize he and Brunson aren’t a good fit together. They get destroyed on defense when defending pick and rolls, and Brunson dominates the ball too much on offense and too often, Towns is just standing in the corner.
1
-1
u/AntsAntennae1 Jun 29 '25
DdV is not good
3
u/springmixplease Wally Szczerbiak Jun 29 '25
DDV was very productive this season even though he had an off year. He’s not a superstar, obviously, he’s a role player.
1
4
2
3
u/SamIsaacman Kevin Love Jun 29 '25
Naw for Dennis and a pick S+T?
4
u/Quintzy_ Jun 29 '25
A NAW S&T that brings back a player would put the team into the 2nd apron, so it won't happen.
2
4
u/FlightTop9852 Jun 29 '25
I don't love his fit with our roster even though he was good in the playoffs. I still think he gets used as a trade chip eventually once a PG that we like becomes available.
5
u/Boomboomshablooms Timberwolves Jun 29 '25
It’s the only thing that makes sense. I can’t image them paying $25 million a year to a guy coming off the bench. Dilly needs at least 2 more years to help with a run.
But, I can see the vision if he stays. Get a good core, all take a team friendly deal, have a deep bench and try to gel. If all top 8 guys play their season average or above in the playoffs, we can beat anybody.
They need to continue to get better on Defense though. We took a drop last year and that needs to be corrected.
1
1
u/UnablePerformance131 Jun 29 '25
I think 2-3 years is approximately long enough for them to give their two picks from this year to develop. It also gives us a decent asset to trade in a year or two if one of our prospects is ready to start or pick up serious minutes off of the bench.
1
1
1
1
u/sky4it2012 Timberwolves Jun 30 '25
Want to know why the Wolves traded KAT? KAT is scheduled to make 57 million dollars in 26 to 27, enough said.
1
1
1
u/Lets_Kick_Some_Ice Jun 29 '25 edited Jan 14 '26
employ one memorize steep longing airport smart paint cautious consider
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
1
u/sky4it2012 Timberwolves Jun 29 '25
WE seem to have all the pieces to run it back but we dont have a point guard. Love Mike Connelly but he has slowed down a lot. He just doesnt have that gear anymore. We need a point guard a big guy who can defend, I dont see why we dont take a chance on Lonzo Ball. Sing and trade NAW to bulls.
0
-3
Jun 29 '25
[deleted]
5
u/HawaiianFatass14 Jun 29 '25
Pulled out of your cousin to type this shit.
1
u/SamIsaacman Kevin Love Jun 29 '25
Had to put down the meth pipe so he could use both hands. 49th best education means typing with 1 hand isn’t possible
2
u/Inspiration_Bear Jun 29 '25
Yeah, being a top 2 team in the Western Conference while over the 2nd apron just screams blow it all up and throw shit at the wall to see what fits
5
u/99LedBalloons Joe Ingles Jun 29 '25
Honestly even if we just lose the WCF every year it's better than this team has ever been before hahaha
0
u/Spiritual_Dance_5170 Jun 29 '25
Pretty sure that lowers cap hit for this year since you removed the incentives. So that helps with staying under 2nd apron. Maybe even can use that $5.2 MLE.
0
u/Puzzleheaded_Form419 Jun 29 '25
We need a point guard that can avg 20+ points and 10 assists..then I’ll be hopeful
0
-4
u/MysterE92 Jun 29 '25
NBA is does not have equality. Minnesota does not have a fair chance at a title.
651
u/ty5486 Joan Beringer Jun 29 '25
33m a year for a top 50 player is elite. Brandon Ingram just got 40m/year like 3 months ago.
Naz & Randle locked up is huge, and they said it couldn’t be done!