Former Laker Julius Randle Traded From Perennial Contender Timberwolves To Rebuilding Nets

Julius Randle is headed backmost to New York, though he will beryllium playing successful a different borough this clip around.

The Brooklyn Nets acquired nan 12-year seasoned aft he spent nan past 2 seasons pinch nan Minnesota Timberwolves, aggregate media outlets reported Monday night.

As portion of nan three-team deal, Minnesota will nonstop Randle and nan 28th prime successful Tuesday’s draught to Brooklyn successful speech for nan Nets’ No. 33 wide pick. In addition, Brooklyn will nonstop seasoned halfway Nic Claxton to nan Chicago Bulls. The Timberwolves will person Mo Gueye from Chicago but are expected to waive nan third-year forward.

For Minnesota, nan waste and acquisition creates a $33 cardinal waste and acquisition objection arsenic good arsenic financial elasticity to activity free agents to play alongside superstar Anthony Edwards. Later connected Monday, nan Timberwolves came to position pinch defender Ayo Dosunmu connected a five-year, $112 cardinal woody to stay pinch nan squad aft being acquired from Chicago astatine nan waste and acquisition deadline.

Randle goes from a squad that won 49 games successful each of nan past 2 seasons and 3 playoff bid during that agelong to 1 that won conscionable 20 games past twelvemonth and a mixed 78 complete nan past 3 seasons.

The Nets, who haven’t had a typical successful nan All-Star Game since Kevin Durant successful 2022, will proceed rebuilding pinch nan No. 6 wide prime successful nan 2026 draught to spell pinch nan first-rounder they received from Minnesota.

The Lakers drafted Randle astatine No. 7 wide successful 2014, pinch his first 2 NBA seasons coinciding pinch nan last 2 of Lakers fable Kobe Bryant. After becoming a free supplier successful 2018, Randle played 1 play pinch nan New Orleans Pelicans earlier becoming a three-time All-Star during 5 seasons pinch nan New York Knicks.

In October 2024, Randle went to Minnesota arsenic portion of nan woody that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Towns was a cardinal personnel of nan Knicks squad that defeated nan San Antonio Spurs successful nan NBA Finals and celebrated pinch a title parade successful Lower Manhattan past week.

During nan 2025 postseason, Randle shook his estimation for fading successful nan playoffs, crediting his perseverance to a mentality instilled successful him galore years earlier by Bryant.

“I had a awesome mentor successful Kobe that didn’t needfully fto maine pout aliases get down connected myself,” Randle said aft scoring a profession playoff high of 31 points during a convention semifinal crippled against Golden State. “His point was always, ‘All right, what’s next? How tin you get better? How tin you improve?’ So I ever conscionable benignant of took that mentality pinch me.”

While Randle hasn’t publically commented connected nan trade, his woman Kendra posted a video to her Instagram Story of 9-year-old boy Kyden, nan oldest of their 3 children, stating that he’s “so excited” and “so happy” to beryllium returning to New York.

“@brooklynnets fans he really wanted to make this,” Kendra Randle wrote arsenic a caption to nan video.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.