Ever since the September trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, there have been endless questions and discussions about Julius Randle's fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves. One thing seems to be clear: he is not as good a fit with this roster as Towns was, regardless of how much time he gets to acclimate.
Randle has still had his moments of success in Minnesota. When he is surrounded by lethal shooting power, he has much more room to operate and can punish defenders one-on-one. But without the proper talent surrounding him, Julius' effectiveness diminishes greatly. It is entirely possible the Timberwolves could look into moving him ahead of the February 6 trade deadline.
Recently, Sports Illustrated's Matt Alquiza proposed a deal that would send Randle to the Charlotte Hornets. In this imagined trade, the Wolves would also package Leonard Miller in exchange for Miles Bridges and Vasilije Micic. Charlotte would take on Randle's expiring deal while Minnesota would get their new starting power forward.
Bridges would be a better fit for this roster than Randle
In addition, the Timberwolves would be sending the Hornets Leonard Miller with Charlotte giving up Vasilije Micic as well. All in all, this would be a solid way for Minnesota to salvage the Randle situation if they are intent on moving on from him.
Bridges would fit in quite nicely alongside Rudy Gobert in the frontcourt. His inside-out scoring ability would ensure the spacing improves, and while one might not think of Bridges as a dead-eye shooter from distance, he holds a higher career percentage from three than Randle. Miles' scoring average is just slightly lower than Julius' this year, and we saw last season the type of offensive contributor he can be given his team's needs.
Throw in his high-flying athletic ability, and you have a player primed to improve Minnesota's starting unit. Additionally, Vasilije Micic could be just what the doctor ordered for the Timberwolves as well. The need for a backup point guard has been discussed ever since Monte Morris' departure this past offseason, and Micic can provide spot minutes when it is maybe not a Mike Conley game for 48 minutes.
From the Hornets' side of things, you get to experiment with Randle for a couple of months to end the season before likely moving him for assets as well. Throw in Leonard Miller, and Charlotte gets another exciting young player to add to their core. The trade would essentially be a win-win for both parties, with Bridges and Micic being the final pieces that get Minnesota back in the top tier of elite teams in the West once again.