The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and it does not seem like the Minnesota Timberwolves are racing toward a Julius Randle trade. There has been plenty of indication from Chris Finch that the team likes what they're building with him, and that they believe in this partnership potentially beyond just this season.
Then there is also the practicality of making a Randle trade. Sure, some believe he is simply too clunky of a fit with this team and should be moved regardless of anything else. But would the Timberwolves' front office be willing to just offload him and take back bad money (and inferior players) just to avoid paying him? It's questionable at the least.
But as we think about this, an alternate scenario where Minnesota could actually move Randle was recently mentioned by Dane Moore on his podcast. Instead of trading for lesser players, the Timberwolves may soon have the option of attaching a valued draft pick to Randle in any trade discussions. The pick in question? the Detroit Pistons' 2025-first rounder.
The Timberwolves could package Detroit's first-rounder with Randle
The Pistons have surprisingly been a winning basketball team this year, and their pick is on track to be conveyed to Minnesota, should they continue their winning ways. Moore's idea here would be that the Wolves would float trade packages to other teams centered around Randle and that first-round pick.
If they did this, they would have the potential to get back a player even more talented than Julius just due to the nature of how valuable that pick would be. Or at the very least, Minnesota could try to get a player of equal or comparable talent to Randle that is a better fit for the team and in a more favorable contract situation.
This may be the Timberwolves' best option if they do decide to discontinue the Randle experiment going forward. As of this writing, the Pistons hold a remarkable 12-4 record in their last 16 games, and their pick (should it be conveyed to Minnesota) would land at number 18 if the draft occurred today. Should they remain in this range by the end of the season, that would be a near-lottery pick for the Wolves to use in trade negotiations.