If you were a Minnesota Timberwolves fan who went a week without any communication, you would not recognize your team. Sandwiched around the draft were two franchise-altering transactions. First, you had the three-team salary-dump trade involving forward Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. Then the shocker trade on Draft Day 2: point guard LaMelo Ball to Minnesota in exchange for fan favorite Naz Reid.
Taken collectively, it will take a couple of seasons to determine if these trades propel the Timberwolves to the NBA title. In the short term, fans will miss Reid, who became something of a folk legend in Minnesota. And Ball has always been a lightning rod, evoking strong emotions both positive and negative.
Timberwolves Say Goodbye to Randle
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Julius Randle were never a perfect fit from the beginning. Randle was traded from the New York Knicks to the Wolves, along with guard Donte DiVincenzo and a draft pick that would become center Joan Beringer, in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. He struggled in his first year in Minnesota but caught fire in the last two months of the season, averaging 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists over that time.
That year, he began to shed his reputation for lackluster playoff performances, only to struggle against the eventual champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Randle signed a three-year, $100 million extension with the Timberwolves in the offseason, solidifying his place on the team. But after a productive 2025-26 season, he once again faded in the playoffs, much to the chagrin of Minnesota fans.
Despite the hoopla surrounding the trade with the Knicks to acquire Randle, his trade to the Nets was purely a salary-cap issue. Right after the Timberwolves announced the deal, they signed former Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu to a 5-year, $112 million contract. Ayo was a key contributor for Minnesota in the playoffs, and the team needed additional cap space to re-sign him. With Randle leaving, this also appeared to be the necessary move to get Naz Reid into the starting lineup until…
Wolves Trade Naz Reid in Deal for LaMelo Ball
In a trade that caught many off guard, the Timberwolves today dealt Reid and a slew of draft picks to the Carolina Hornets for LaMelo Ball and Josh Green. So, Minnesota says goodbye to local legend Reid to acquire the coveted point guard. Ball’s presence will relieve star Anthony (Ant) Edwards of much of his ball-handling responsibilities, and the tandem should prosper with Ball’s elite passing and outside shooting ability. LaMelo is also very adept at the lob pass, which should increase center Rudy Gobert’s scoring chances.
The downside to this deal is that Ball has been injured in four of his six NBA seasons, missing 37% of his games. There are also some maturity issues with the young guard that the Timberwolves hope will be solved by his integration into a veteran lineup. For the Wolves, this also means that they have opted to pay the luxury tax. And it marries them to a smaller starting lineup, even though interior defense was one of the team’s biggest shortcomings in its playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs.
Will it All Come Together?
The success of these moves is strongly predicated on Ball’s health and his integration into the Timberwolves team concept. If he stays healthy, frees Ant up from some ball-handling duties, helps turn Rudy into more of an offensive force, and continues shooting well from the outside, Wolves coach Chris Finch and his staff will consider it a success.
The last piece of the puzzle is adding an offense-minded big man who can replace some of the scoring that Reid provided. There are several names that are buzzing around the rumor mill, but the one mentioned most often is Golden State’s Kristaps Porzingis. It should be an interesting few days because even though the Timberwolves are cash-strapped, I believe they still have a move or two left in them.
