We are just 11 days ahead of the 2025 NBA trade deadline. We have seen plenty of talk regarding potential trade opportunities for the Minnesota Timberwolves over the last several weeks. Everyone has their opinion of what the Wolves should do at the deadline, and how they should seek to level up this team.
Of course, many would like to see Julius Randle traded. We can debate all day about how much that would help Minnesota, but it certainly does not seem like a deal for the Timberwolves' starting power forward is imminent. According to people with knowledge of the situation, it appears the team would like to keep him around past the deadline.
But although this is the current indication, that does not mean that a trade cannot get done before February 6. The biggest reason why we can't completely rule it out? Tim Connelly. The Timberwolves' President and General Manager is a master of negotiation, and the possibility exists that he could pull off a last minute move to trade Randle.
Connelly has extensive connections around the NBA
This possible outcome was pointed out by MinnPost's Britt Robson on The Dane Moore NBA Podcast this week. More than just being a master negotiator, Robson points out how well-connected Connelly is with other figures in the NBA.
Robson noted that he learned this through writing a story on Connelly. "I talked to a lot of his friends, who turn out to be scouts and peers and everything, are his best friends," Robson said. "But they all mention that this guy is just one of the most connected people in the NBA ... He gossips with every organization about what they think, what they need, how they need it.
"He can make calls to people because he knows what they want. There's no chatter about 'oh, what do they want?' He knows what they want, and also that his word is good. So that if he says, 'I'll give you this for this,' you can put together a last minute deal on the clock, and if that's true of the draft, I've got to think it's also going to be true of the trade deadline stuff."
Going back to the 2023 trade deadline, Robson also points out that you don't just pull off a trade like the one that netted the Timberwolves Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker without being connected. Connelly has a lot of resources at his disposal, and while we probably should still not expect a Randle trade, we should also not be surprised if Tim manages to pull something off.