Randle Is Gone for Pennies

When I first saw the trade, I was hesitant to see Tim Connelly's vision. But looking back now, I think it's clear that moving off Julius Randle was ultimately a salary dump. The wolves clear 33mil from their salary cap, created a 33mil trade acception, and now are 53mil under the 1st Apron.

Randle still had two years remaining on the three-year, $100 million contract he signed last offseason. After the Wolves moved off the veteran forward, they immediately re-signed Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million contract. Simply put, the Wolves could not keep both Randle and Ayo.

Trading Randle also created more flexibility for Minnesota to use its available extensions and retain key pieces of the roster. That's the definition of a salary dump: moving a large contract and even attaching draft capital, only to receive minimal value in return. In this case, the Wolves essentially moved a big contract and a first-round pick for a second-round pick.

To me, this shows that the Karl-Anthony Towns trade was a big swing and a miss. Neither Randle nor Donte DiVincenzo will be playing for the Timberwolves next season. Meanwhile, the Knicks went on to win the NBA Finals, while Minnesota's biggest accomplishment from the deal was getting out of Randle's money.

Now, to be fair, without the KAT trade the Wolves may not have been able to afford both Ayo Dosunmu and Naz Reid. There is some value in the flexibility the move created. Still, when Towns goes on to win a championship and the Wolves are left dumping salary, it's hard not to view the Knicks as the clear winners.

In the end, this was a salary dump.

Do I see the vision? Yes.

Does this mean the Timberwolves definitely lost the KAT trade? In my opinion, absolutely yes.

Thanks for reading. Please comment, flame me if you disagree, and leave a like if you enjoy these articles.

— Team Tiach