Very little time remains before the NBA's February 6 trade deadline, and what that means is that fake trades are going to keep flying in from every direction from every media outlet you have (and haven't) heard of. Of course, one of the hottest topics surrounding this year's trade deadline is whether the Minnesota Timberwolves will look to move Julius Randle.
According to at least one insider with knowledge of the situation, it does not seem that Minnesota is planning to prioritize a Randle trade in the next two weeks. Chris Finch has spoken glowingly of Julius, and it seems they will continue trying to make things work with him for the time being. But that information is not going to stop analysts from crafting up every mock trade involving Randle that they can imagine.
The latest imagined Julius Randle trade, and possibly the wildest one yet, came from Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus. He devised an intricate three-team deal between the Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors that would send Randle to the Windy City in an article published on Wednesday.
Basically, the idea here is that Minnesota would do a deal like this if they changed their approach and simply decided they needed to get Randle off the books before this summer, when he can opt into his player option for next season. Pincus' mock has the Wolves getting Lonzo Ball, Buddy Hield, Julian Phillips as well as a $2.9 million trade exception by way of moving Randle.
This could be a decent move to get Randle off the books
Again, the entire trade is extremely convoluted, and we're not focused on whether this would make sense for either of the other teams. But simply looking at Minnesota's side of things, this is really not the worst move you could make. At this point, you basically have to rule out making some sort of blockbuster trade and fleecing a rival team to get a star in return. Randle's value just isn't that high right now.
But in terms of a cost-reducing move to get rid of Randle's salary, this would work rather well for the Timberwolves. Pincus talks in his article about how Minnesota is better off coming at things with a defensive mindset first, and moving Randle while adding a guy like Lonzo Ball would certainly help in that regard. Add in Buddy Hield, and you've got some great shooting prowess as well.
Supplanting Naz Reid for Randle in the starting unit would likely become the next move, and then from there Ball and Hield can collectively replace Donte DiVincenzo's production if he is indeed out for the season. All things considered, this would be a great salvage move if the Timberwolves change their tune on their plans for Randle.