Julius Randle may have been shocked at first, but he quickly found a silver lining in Minnesota. After five years in New York, he’s found himself in a place where he feels “wanted,” and for the 29-year-old star, that’s all that matters
The Knicks dealt Randle, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, as part of the blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that was finalized on Wednesday.
The trade came after a contract extension failed to materialize nearly two months after Randle became eligible for one in early August.
Which meant Randle, who is entering the final guaranteed year of his contract before he can test free agency in 2025, was up for a trade, and a deal including Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, a protected first-round pick, three second-round picks and hefty salary-cap gymnastics materialized entering training camp.
A reporter in Minneapolis asked the star forward if he hoped to re-sign with the Timberwolves long-term.
The former Knicks star briefly paused before responding with “absolutely.”
“For me, being here is super important, and you wanna be somewhere where you feel wanted, and I feel wanted here,” Randle said during his introductory press conference on Thursday. “I feel like everybody’s really embraced me. Like I said, [Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly] has been great, I played for [Wolves head coach Chris Finch], I really believe in Finch, and ultimately, yeah: I do want to be here.”
Randle averaged 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists per game for the Knicks through 46 games last season before suffering a season-ending dislocated right shoulder in late January. On Thursday, Randle said his shoulder has healed.
He joins breakout star Anthony Edwards, four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, versatile defensive forward Jaden McDaniels, and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Naz Reid on a Timberwolves team hoping to compete for a title.
Randle said learning of the trade was emotional, given his deep connection to New York. But after a night of reflection, his feelings shifted.
“Yeah it was a lot of emotion. You spend a certain amount of time in a place. New York, going there five years ago and having a goal in mind to accomplish a lot of great things. A lot of blood sweat put into that organization, uniform. So initially it’s always gonna be a shock,” he said. “But for me, afterwards, I woke up the next morning. I was just really really excited. It was a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to bring everything that I learned here over the past five years and help these guys here. My thing is I just wanna help. I wanna help Ant, Rudy. Naz. I wanna help win a championship, and that’s the only thing that matters.
WOLVES PRESIDENT EXPLAINS DEAL
Randle’s excitement about his fresh start in Minnesota was palpable, but his arrival came at a cost.
The Timberwolves had to part with Towns, one of their own franchise cornerstones taken No. 1 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, to make room for the three-time All-Star.
Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly didn’t take that decision lightly.
“I want to thank Karl and his family for being such an impactful part of the organization and the community. The whole idea of trading people I think is pretty gross and weird, and it’s hard to get players of this caliber, so in order to do that, we had to give up one of the best players who’s ever put on a Timberwolves jersey,” Connelly said on Thursday. “As good as a player he is, he’s a better guy, so New York got a heck of a player and a better person. So he’ll be missed. We’re super excited, but wanted to let New York know they got a special guy.”
A reporter then asked the front office executive why he would make such a drastic trade after finishing with the Western Conference’s third seed and making a conference finals appearance last season.
“These guys [Julius, Donte and Keita] bring special on-court skills. They bring toughness. I think depth is increasingly important as the [collective bargaining agreement] has evolved over the last couple years,” said Connelly. “We don’t trade a person like KAT lightly. We were very specific with what it would take, and quite frankly, the asking price was very high when you see what these guys accomplished these last couple years. They come from a winning environment.
“Donte’s the only guy in the building now who’s won an NBA championship. We talk about winning a championship. He actually knows what it looks like, what it feels like, so the combination of people and player made it pretty hard to pass up. We’re super excited to bring all three guys to the team. Our guys are chomping at the bit to try to win a ring this year.”
REUNION IN THE TWIN CITIES
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch coached Randle on the New Orleans Pelicans before he left for New York in the summer of 2019.
Randle credited Finch for helping expand his game.
“I’m extremely excited. When I left Finch in New Orleans, I wanted him in New York with me because he’s just such a great coach,” he said. “I’ve always thought he was a genius. He’s a great communicator and knows how to get the best out of his players. I remember playing for him there and I always felt super prepared for the games, knowing what was gonna happen, where I was gonna get my shots from, what he needed from me. I felt like he opened up my game and I became a really versatile player.
“That was the easiest my game has ever felt, playing under finch, because he’s just really good. I think he’s that good of a coach. So I’m excited to get out there with him. I think he’s gonna bring the best, not only out of me but out of everybody. Like I said, just wanna be able to show that and help any way I can.”
A reporter asked Randle if he needed to change his game to fit in with Edwards, Gobert and the other Wolves who were coming off of a conference finals run.
“I’ve played for Finch before. I played for him in New Orleans,” he said. “So all you’ve gotta do is look at the tape and you’ll see.”
