Tim Connelly would rather get fired for swinging and missing on a risky trade than being constantly scared of taking that swing. But Connelly, who has swung on multiple seismic trades since becoming the Minnesota Timberwolves’ President of Basketball Operations in 2022, also knows the importance of balancing that courageousness with intelligence.
“We are open to it, certainly, but we are not driven by it,” Connelly said during his exit interview in May. “We are not going to have a blind appetite for risk just because. But until you win it all, I think you’ve just got to keep playing hands.”
The Timberwolves have their sights set on a championship, and they have had a window to realize that goal over the last three years. But entering this off-season, Connelly knew his roster was not good enough to reach it. A risky swing could have been in order. Instead, Connelly opened up the off-season with a lead-off bunt single — the type of swing that is essential moving forward in the NBA.
Monday night, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported that the Timberwolves are trading Julius Randle and the 28th pick in Tuesday’s draft to the Brooklyn Nets in a three-team trade with the Chicago Bulls. The Wolves will acquire the 33rd pick in the draft from Brooklyn and forward Mouhamadou Gueye from Chicago, whom Minnesota will waive.
By trading Randle to Brooklyn, the Wolves are dumping all of the remaining $69 million that they would have been on the books to pay him over the next two seasons. Randle was set to make $33.3 million next season and $35.8 million in 2027-28 if he opted into his player option for that year.
The Wolves extended Randle to a three-year, $100 million contract at the end of the 2023-24 season after he led Minnesota to a blazing 17-4 finish to the regular season and an 8-2 record through the first two rounds of the playoffs. He was consistently the bruising point forward during that stretch, sparking consistent offense for his teammates. When Randle was that player with the Wolves, their offense hummed, and Anthony Edwards directly benefited from catch-and-shoot three-pointers.
But this season, that version of Randle became detrimentally situational, and his point-forward playstyle crumbled against playoff-caliber defense. After Randle skipped his exit interview following his 18-turnover, nine-assist performance in the second round against the San Antonio Spurs, it seemed highly unlikely that he would be on the Timberwolves roster for their season opener in 2026.
Randle’s value this summer dropped dramatically. Still, the Wolves could have leveraged his $33 million salary to make a risky trade for a high-end player. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported Monday morning that the Timberwolves had discussions on trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving, Derrick White, Josh Giddey, and Trey Murphy III.
If the Wolves were to acquire any of those players — minus White, maybe — in a deal that featured Randle’s contract, they would have almost certainly had to part ways with someone from their young core. They would have had to make a trade that is the equivalent of swinging for the fences on a Jacob Misiorowski fastball up and in.
But instead of taking a risky hack at an aging superstar, Connelly made a trade that allows him to deepen Minnesota’s long-term core around Edwards while giving them financial flexibility in the present to bolster the roster to win now.
The riskiest move on the table for the Timberwolves this summer was bringing in Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks dangled the two-time MVP in front of interested teams around the league, but demanded a lot in return. The Timberwolves were among the interested teams, but they were unwilling and unable to match that price.
The Miami Heat traded for Antetokounmpo Monday night in a massive deal that included Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., three first-round picks, and more. Ultimately, the Wolves would not have had a package to match that haul even if they desperately wanted to bring in Antetokounmpo.
However, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported on June 12 that in exchange for Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee wanted a package from the Wolves that included Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and two first-round picks. In the same report, Amick mentioned that McDaniels and Minnesota’s first-round pick last year, Joan Beringer, were untouchable.
All along in Minnesota, Connelly has emphasized the importance of building a long-lasting core with the Wolves, even after making risky trades. He did in 2023 when he signed McDaniels to a five-year, $136 million contract. Connelly did in 2024 when he traded Karl-Anthony Towns to open up long-term financial freedom, which he ultimately turned into a five-year, $125 million extension for Reid last summer and a five-year, $112 million contract for Ayo Dosunmu on Monday.
Minnesota could re-sign Dosunmu — which locks up a 26-and-under core for the Wolves to build around moving forward — after shedding Randle’s contract. By doing so, the Wolves also created a $33.3 million trade exception, which they can use to trade for a player up to that amount without having to send out matching salary in return. They could also use part of that exception or not use it at all.
After parting ways with Randle and re-signing Dosunmu, the Wolves only have nine players under contract next season. Connelly is far from finished this summer. He has a large trade exception, the Mid-Level Exception, and cap space to attack another mid- to high-level acquisition. He could also trade Rudy Gobert.
But for the time being, Connelly led off this summer with a bunt single. He has locked down a core of three young, versatile, and lengthy players next to a great player in Edwards. Will that core be enough to keep Minnesota contending around Edwards, and keep him happy enough to stay in Minnesota long-term?
Time will tell, but at a certain point, the Wolves need to figure out what they have in that young core. And Connelly’s transactions on Monday show he is ready to see what Dosunmu, McDaniels, and Reid (with other pieces, of course) can do alongside Edwards.
In the salary apron era, cores built like that are far more sustainable than two superstar players on supermax contracts, given the inevitable dropoff in talent around them. Connelly also didn’t put pressure on the Wolves to win immediately. Edwards is still just 24 years old. He is already great, and the Wolves can’t waste these years with him. But they also can’t make desperate changes that hamper his long-term capabilities in Minnesota and, subsequently, Minnesota’s ceiling with him on the roster.
Connelly did the opposite on Monday night. He squared for a bunt, dribbled the ball up the third base line, and darted to first base and reached safety. He didn’t take a risky swing. Connelly locked down a sustainable core group of players, allowing them to prove themselves around Edwards. He did so while giving himself the freedom to further improve the roster ahead of 2026-27, all while avoiding a swing-and-miss that could have proved costly later down the line.
