Wolves trade Julius Randle to Nets in three-team NBA deal

Minnesota turned Julius Randle into draft capital and cap room, sending the three-time All-Star and the No. 28 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to Brooklyn in a three-team deal that also sent Nic Claxton to Chicago. The Timberwolves got the No. 33 pick back from the Nets and took no money in return, creating a $33.3 million trade exception as the league moved toward the draft.

The trade is a clear bet on flexibility over continuity. Randle, who averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 2025-26, had been in Minnesota only since the October 2024 blockbuster that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. The Wolves then re-signed him on July 16, 2025, with expectations that he would remain through the 2027-28 season. Instead, Minnesota has now converted his $33.3 million salary for next season into maneuvering room, a move that also fits the team’s reported path toward a five-year, $112 million deal for Ayo Dosunmu with a player option in the fifth season.

Brooklyn and Chicago used their cap space as leverage, taking on veteran money while changing their draft positions. The Nets added Randle and the No. 28 pick, a sign they are willing to spend short-term financial flexibility on a proven scoring forward and a premium first-round slot. Chicago landed Claxton, the No. 31 pick in the 2019 draft and the longest-tenured Net, while also taking on his $23.3 million salary next season. The Bulls sent forward Mo Gueye to Minnesota and moved down to a cost structure that reflects a team still sorting out how aggressively it wants to push its timeline.

For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious: the Wolves shed a pricey frontcourt piece, stayed out of the tax in the deal, and kept an extra draft asset in the No. 33 pick. Brooklyn gets the more established half-court scorer, and Chicago buys a young center who can fit a longer runway. But the cleanest strategic win belongs to the Timberwolves, who chose optionality over permanence and left themselves with a trade exception that can shape another move later.