There is now a nearly two-month sample size with which to judge this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. While it is clear their defensive identity has returned and they can still have a high ceiling on that side of the ball with this current group, other areas are lacking.
The Wolves' offense does not currently have an identity, according to Anthony Edwards. They struggle to generate consistently good looks, they do not have nearly as structured an offensive approach as they would like, and Edwards has been unable to get to the rim the way he likes to.
As Minnesota's front office considers what potential moves to make ahead of the February trade deadline, they will likely have the team's struggling offense at the forefront of their approach. The idea of moving Julius Randle has obviously been floated ever since the September trade with the New York Knicks first went down, and perhaps there is a move that would make perfect sense for the Timberwolves.
Enter New Orleans Pelicans point guard Dejounte Murray. The 28-year old distributor has moved around a bit recently, being traded from the Hawks to the Pelicans this past offseason after spending the previous two seasons in Atlanta. The biggest reason why he would make a lot of sense in Minnesota lies in his contract situation.
Dejounte Murray's salary nearly matches Julius Randle's
The $29.5 million salary that Murray makes matches up quite nicely with Randle's current $33 million paycheck for this season. If the Wolves wanted to make a deal to offload Randle's contract, Murray would be a solid replacement that would even give them a bit of extra flexibility to perhaps add an additional minimum deal or something of the like.
It is unclear whether New Orleans would be interested in bringing Randle back on board, but a third team could always be added to a potential trade to make a deal work. After the contract situation, the on-court fit makes a lot of sense as well. Minnesota could use an additional ball-handling guard that can create their own shot and put some points on the board, and Dejounte absolutely fits that bill.
This goes a step deeper when we stop to consider the history between Murray and the Timberwolves, also. If you recall, back in the summer of 2022 before Minnesota pulled off the blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert, Dejounte was another of their potential targets. Murray was coming off an All-Star season with the San Antonio Spurs and was one of the most coveted names on the market that offseason.
Tim Connelly undoubtedly had interest in Murray before, so it would make sense that he could be open to making a move for him once again. It would ultimately depend on the coaching staff's vision, but potentially moving Mike Conley to the bench while adding a former All-Star as your starting point guard is a very exciting possibility for the Timberwolves.