The Timberwolves are trading Julius Randle and the 28th overall pick in the 2026 draft to the Nets for the 33rd pick, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The third team involved is the Bullswho will receive Nic Claxton from Brooklyn using cap room. Since Chicago is using room to acquire Claxton, the trade can’t be completed until the moratorium period ends on July 6, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter).
It’s a salary-dump move for the Wolves, who will create a $33.3MM traded player exception by sending out Randle and receiving no player in return, tweets Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron. Gozlan projects Minnesota to be $50MM below the first tax apron after the deal.
Moving Randle will give Minnesota the financial flexibility to re-sign free agent guard Ayo Dosunmu. On top of the massive TPE, which will be the largest in the NBA, the Timberwolves will also gain access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (projected to start at $15MM next season) and the bi-annual exception ($5.5MM in 2026/27).
A three-time All-Star, Randle averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.1 steals on .481/.315/.802 shooting splits in 79 games last season (33.0 minutes per contest). He struggled in the playoffs for Minnesota, averaging 16.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 2.8 APG on .390/.244/.738 shooting in 12 games (33.3 MPG).
The 31-year-old power forward will head to a Brooklyn team looking to climb out of the NBA’s cellar after embarking on a rebuild the past few seasons. He’s owed $33.3MM next season, with a $35.8MM player option for 2027/28.
The Nets moved up a few spots in this week’s draft and bolstered their frontline by acquiring Randle. They’re also expected to use cap room to complete the transaction.
As for the Bulls, they essentially land a new starting center without sacrificing anything but the $56MM in cap room they projected to have entering the offseason. They should still have approximately $33MM in room after the deal, as Claxton makes $23.1MM next season, followed by a $20.9MM cap hit for ’27/28.
Claxton, 27, has spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Nets, who selected him 31st overall in the 2019 draft. He averaged 11.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.7 APG and 1.1 BPG while shooting 57.1% from the field and 61.6% from the foul line in 69 games this past season (27.8 MPG).
More to come…
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