The Minnesota Timberwolves are trading forward Julius Randle and the No. 28 overall pick in the NBA Draft to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team deal that sends center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls. The Timberwolves will acquire Brooklyn’s No. 33 pick in exchange for Randle and the No. 28 pick.
The Timberwolves, who gave up Randle and the No. 28 pick, will receive the No. 33 pick, but their primary reason for the trade was to offload Randle’s contract. Randle has one guaranteed year remaining on his deal and a player option for the 2027/28 season, allowing Minnesota to retain other players on the roster and be more flexible throughout free agency.
The Nets get a star player in Randle, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA forward. He is a seasoned veteran with 12 seasons under his belt and will help lead a young Brooklyn squad while also bringing the No. 28 pick with him.
And finally, the Chicago Bulls bring a talented young center in Nic Claxton into the fold and fill a position of need, especially after dealing center Nikola Vučević to the Boston Celtics in February. Besides the addition of Claxton, the Bulls were able to take on his contract and still have around $30 million in cap space remaining.
Brooklyn will take on Randle’s $33.3 million salary for next season, while Chicago absorbs Claxton’s $23.3 million salary.
Randle averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 79 games with the Timberwolves last season. He’ll be brought into a Nets lineup featuring players such as Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney and the sixth overall pick in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
Claxton, in his seventh season with the Nets last year, averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. He’ll have plenty of young guards to pair with in Chicago, including Josh Giddey and Coby White, as well as potentially Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton if both remain with the team.
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