The Minnesota Timberwolves will likely be linked to the majority of star-level players who may find themselves rumored to be on the trade market this offseason. Whether they land any of those guys remains to be seen, but we know Tim Connelly will do his due diligence.
One thing is for certain, though. If they do get a co-star for Anthony Edwards, there needs to be a strong fit between them on the court. That often didn’t seem to be the case these last two years for Ant-Man and Julius Randle. It's expected that Randle will be traded, partly because of that reason
Randle and Edwards were never an ideal fit
Edwards built quite the bond with Karl-Anthony Towns as the two were teammates for Ant’s first 4 seasons. It was quite the surprise when right before training camp, Towns was shipped to the New York Knicks where he is currently playing in the NBA finals.
The trade brought Randle to Minnesota and inserted him into their second scoring option role. A three-time All-Star with the Knicks, it was a risky move, but one that the front office deemed necessary to free themselves from Towns’ contract.
As talented as Randle is, he certainly has his flaws and was seen as a moody player in New York.
Plus, Randle is a player who needs the ball in his hands. Obviously, that is also the case for Edwards. Ant is the alpha on offense, but in order to keep Randle happy, he needed to get his touches as well. It could sometimes lead to stagnation on offense and ball-watching from the other three players on the court with the two of them.
It didn’t help that Minnesota’s two best scorers are also their worst defenders of the starting lineup. There’s hope that Edwards eventually digs in and shows his full potential on that end, but Randle has been known as a subpar defender throughout his 12-year career. That's unlikely to change at this stage of his career.
Most believe that the partnership will be over after two years, with Randle expected to be dealt this offseason. For the most part, Tim Connelly has done a fine job for a team that has won five playoff series in the last three years. This time around, he should make sure that if he brings in another star player, their game will mesh with Ant-Man’s.Â
He had his moments, but there’s a reason the fan base wants Randle traded after just two years.
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