The First Big NBA Offseason Trade Just Happened
The Minnesota Timberwolves have just traded their second scoring option behind Anthony Edwards to the Brooklyn Nets: Julius Randle
The Wolves are also sending the 28th overall pick in tomorrow's NBA Draft to Brooklyn and in exchange get the 33rd overall pick in the draft.
The Chicago Bulls are receiving Nic Claxton from the Nets in the trade. This makes it a three-team trade overall.
Minnesota is always an active team every offseason. They have to be wary of superstar guard Anthony Edwards becoming unhappy with losing in the Western Conference Playoffs before making it to the NBA Finals every year.
The Wolves took a step back after consecutive appearances in the league's semi-final round, losing a second-round series to the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama in May.
The fact that Minnesota had to include a higher draft pick than the one they received and got no players in the trade means the team was doing it solely to get rid of Randle's salary. He was set to make $33 million with the Wolves next season, which will now be paid to him by the Nets.
With that salary cap relief, the Wolves are free to look around for another star to pair with Edwards. Karl-Anthony Towns had been Edwards' second option for several seasons before a trade that sent him to New York and brought in Randle in the summer of 2024. The Knicks got the better end of the trade, as Towns was instrumental in delivering New York its first NBA crown since 1973.
Who could Minnesota possibly go after now? They haven't been rumored to be pursuing any of the big names on the market. Giannis Antetokounmpo is close to being traded to either the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat. That trade has been mulled over for months, and fans are hoping it will finally be completed before the NBA Draft on Tuesday night.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 7:47 PM.