The first two games of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2024-25 season have shown us a perfect example of the ups and downs of making a big roster shakeup right before the start of the season. In game one, the Wolves took a loss as Julius Randle struggled to get comfortable next to his teammates.
Then, in game two on Thursday night, Randle led all scorers with 33 points and made 13 of 17 shot attempts as Minnesota grinded out a win over a talented Kings team on the road. This variance is the natural result of attempting to make such a drastic change in your approach with virtually no time before the start of training camp and preseason.
As the Timberwolves look to the future, they understand that Randle is operating in the final year of his current contract. He has a player option for the 2025-26 season, which he can decline and opt to enter free agency. Of course, the organization has expressed that they want to make Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle a long-term pairing, but there is the possibility it may not be in the cards even despite their best efforts to keep him around.
If Minnesota either chooses to or is forced to pivot elsewhere, there are a few options they can turn to, but one that is perhaps more controversial than the rest. As the Miami Heat's situation becomes more precarious, is there any chance they could seek a reunion with Jimmy Butler?
The Timberwolves could trade Julius Randle for Jimmy Butler
Butler of course played with the organization back during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, but he is not loved by much of the fanbase for the way he exited. The infamous practice where he humiliated the Timberwolves' starters to prove a point was the first reason why Wolves fans chose to resent him, and his behavior since leaving Minnesota has been the second reason. Now, it seems as though Butler is suspiciously absent whenever the Heat play the Timberwolves.
But would Minnesota be willing to put all that aside for the sake of potentially improving their roster? Miami is currently in a tough place, and their opening night blowout loss to the Orlando Magic was further proof that they are far from being a top-line contender in the Eastern Conference. Many, like The Ringer's Bill Simmons, are speculating that could mean the Heat would be open to moving Butler before long.
If that is the case, the Timberwolves could try to entice the Heat by offering Julius Randle in a package that would land them Butler in return. How Randle ends up fitting on this team will matter a lot, and if he becomes a seamless fit with Edwards and Rudy Gobert, there would be no reason why Minnesota would not seek to re-sign him.
But if the fit becomes shaky, putting Randle on the chopping block in favor of acquiring Jimmy Butler could be a ceiling-raising move. Love or hate him, Butler has shown us that he is the kind of leader that can take a team to the Finals, and imagine if he actually had a star-studded roster around him while doing it.