Timberwolves send Julius Randle to Nets in three-team cap move

Minnesota turned Julius Randle and the No. 28 pick into a $33.3 million trade exception and a five-slot drop to No. 33, a clear statement that financial flexibility mattered more than standing pat on draft night. The three-team deal sent Randle to Brooklyn and Nic Claxton to Chicago, with the Bulls using cap space to absorb Claxton. No player came back to Minnesota, making this less a simple pick swap than a deliberate salary move.

For the Timberwolves, the message was about roster direction as much as accounting. Randle, a three-time All-Star and former Knick, had come to Minnesota in the October 2024 Karl-Anthony Towns trade, so moving him now effectively reversed part of that reshaping. He had two seasons left on his contract, including a 2027-28 player option worth $35.8 million, and that future obligation made him a real cap question for a team still building around Anthony Edwards.

The timing sharpened the decision. The deal came on the eve of the 2026 NBA Draft, when moving from No. 28 to No. 33 cost Minnesota five spots but preserved room to maneuver. ESPN’s Bobby Marks said the trade could not be completed until the NBA moratorium ended on July 6, underscoring that this was being processed as a cap structure, not just a draft-night headline.

Brooklyn saw a different kind of value. The Nets gained Randle and the No. 28 pick, giving them both a proven scorer and a better draft position than Minnesota surrendered. For a franchise sorting its next competitive layer, that combination offered immediate production and another young asset, while also putting Randle back into the New York spotlight through Brooklyn, where the former Knick becomes one of the trade’s most recognizable names.

Chicago’s role was equally telling. The Bulls had about $31 million in cap space after the deal and used it to bring in Claxton, a defensive anchor who fit the kind of roster-building that turns unused space into an on-court starter. Taken together, the trade showed three distinct priorities: Minnesota prioritized flexibility, Brooklyn valued a scoring upgrade and a higher pick, and Chicago spent cap room on a center with a defined role.