<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-how-julius-randle-darkest-moment-fueled-minnesota-revival');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Julius Randle’s ‘darkest moment’ fueled his Timberwolves revival');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Timberwolves-news-How-Julius-Randles-%E2%80%98darkest-moment-fueled-his-Minnesota-revival.jpg"><figcaption>© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Julius Randle’s ‘darkest moment’ fueled his Timberwolves revival</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-26T10:52:22-07:00">September 26th, 10:52am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-26T10:52:22-07:00">September 26th, 10:52am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/colinloughran">Colin Loughran</a>Colin Loughran is a NYC-based Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He has spent several years covering sports and has worked for outlets such as the New York Post, AP Radio, and FanSided. Colin is also a three-time NYSBA award winner and a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Minnesota <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/minnesota-timberwolves-2025-nba-free-agency-grades-for-every-signing">Timberwolves forward Julius Randle</a> has experienced a plethora of peaks and valleys throughout his NBA career. The three-time All-Star recently opened up about his final season with the New York Knicks.</p><p>Randle told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that his final season in New York was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6642037/2025/09/26/julius-randle-timberwolves-knicks-trade/?source=user_shared_article" rel="noopener">a truly stressful time.</a> After he injured his shoulder during the middle of the season, the Kentucky product felt as though the team had moved on without him.</p><p>“The isolation and the narrative took him to a dark place. He self-medicated with marijuana (the league stopped testing players for marijuana use in 2023),” Krawczynski wrote. “He withdrew from those around him. Depression, anger and anxiety started to suffocate him.”</p><p>“At the end of that time, I was kind of at my darkest moment,” he said. “Just miserable, like in a way where I just was not having fun going to work every single day.”</p><p>The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference semifinals without Randle during that 2024 run, and traded him to the Timberwolves before the start of last season.</p><p>A new situation and a willingness to adapt seemed to fuel Randle. The 30-year-old enjoyed a successful first season in Minnesota. He averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists across 69 contests and was a major part of the Timberwolves’ run to the Western Conference finals.</p><p>He has taken on a unique role and has enjoyed being able to contribute to a winning effort without feeling as though he is under a microscope. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/grading-timberwolves-100-million-julius-randle-contract">Randle inked a new three-year, $100 million deal</a> with the franchise this summer and has seemingly found a new home for the foreseeable future.</p><p>“When I’m here, I feel like I don’t have to be perfect every single day,” Randle said. “And that just allows me to have that easiness and be comfortable to be like, all right, I’m not perfect every single day, but I’m trying my best. And people aren’t judging me just because you have one bad moment or two bad moments.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Julius Randle’s ‘darkest moment’ fueled his Timberwolves revival

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-insider-julius-randle-trade-declaration-100-million-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Insider makes Timberwolves’ Julius Randle trade declaration after $100 million contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Julius-Randle-on-May-24-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Insider makes Timberwolves’ Julius Randle trade declaration after $100 million contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-30T09:49:21-07:00">June 30th, 9:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-30T09:49:21-07:00">June 30th, 9:49am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves recently confirmed that they have locked in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/grading-timberwolves-100-million-julius-randle-contract" rel="noopener">Julius Randle on a three-year, $100 million deal</a>. Randle will also have a player option for the 2027-28 season and sees a slight pay rise that takes his salary for next season to around $33.3 million.</p><p>The indication may be that Randle is a core piece as the Timberwolves attempt to build from their Western Conference finals finish last season. However, while contracts of this nature generally come with a six-month trade restriction, the same does not seem to apply to Randle’s deal.</p><p>Due to the specifics of his new contract, Randle remains trade-eligible, according to NBA Insider Jon Krawczynski. The six-month trade restriction on new contracts do not apply <a href="https://x.com/JonKrawczynski/status/1939494400016449959" rel="noopener">if three conditions are met</a>.</p><p>Firstly, the contract should not exceed a period of four years, which in Randle’s case includes the 2024-25 campaign. Further, the first-year salary should not exceed 120% of the previous year’s. Randle earned just south of $30 million for last season, and will only earn around $3 million more for the upcoming campaign.</p><p>Finally, the overall rise/decline should not exceed over 5% of the overall contract, another condition that Krawczynski confirmed is met in Randle’s case. </p><p>“As far as I know, he is trade eligible,” The Athletic writer wrote on X. However, this does not mean that the Timberwolves have plans to trade him in the near future. </p><p>“I’ve been told no. But they do have the flexibility down the road if they want/need to,” he wrote, confirming that the $100 million contract does not guarantee that Minnesota will stick with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-julius-randle-labeled-nba-free-agencys-most-interesting-man">Julius Randle in the near future</a>.</p><p>In his first season with the Timberwolves, Randle averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. This improved to over 21 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the postseason. </p><p>While he had his fair share of struggles in the conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Randle produced 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists in the series against the Warriors and the Lakers. That impact has not only been aptly rewarded, but should also protect him from a surprising trade in the near future, despite the Timberwolves having the option to move him. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Insider makes Timberwolves’ Julius Randle trade declaration after $100 million contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/grading-timberwolves-100-million-julius-randle-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Grading Timberwolves’ $100 million Julius Randle contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Timberwolves-star-Julius-Randle.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Grading Timberwolves’ $100 million Julius Randle contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T13:05:24-07:00">June 29th, 1:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T13:06:09-07:00">June 29th, 1:06pm</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves just took care of another one of their biggest priorities for the current offseason: <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-100-million-contract-naz-reid-bonanza">Julius Randle’s contract</a>. Randle had previously turned down his $30.9 million player option for the upcoming season, and this new deal comes on the heels of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-naz-reid-125-million-contract-minnesota">Naz Reid’s five-year, $125 million agreement</a>.</p><p>Instead, the Timberwolves will sign him to a new three-year, $100 million deal that ties him down until the 2026-27 season and has a player option in 2027-28. The deal not only represents a marginal increase on his yearly salary, set to be around $33.3 million for the next season, it also reaffirms his stature as a central piece on Minnesota’s roster.</p><p>The new deal appears to be in the best interests of both  parties. The Timberwolves are in win-now mode and the contract keeps them just under the second apron. However, since his arrival from the New York Knicks, Randle has become the team’s secondary creator alongside Anthony Edwards.</p><p>Randle’s all-round scoring prowess and his ability to come up clutch in crucial moments and ease the playmaking burden from the likes of Ant make the deal well worth the money. Randle has also evolved into a consistent defender and was a major factor behind the Timberwolves’ success last season.</p><p>Keeping that in mind, the $100 million deal looks like a no-brainer.</p><h2><b>Julius Randle is crucial to the Timberwolves’ frontcourt</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/jULIUS-rANDLE_f32030.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Randle averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in his first year with the Wolves. He also posted a shooting efficiency of 48.5%, his best since the 2017-18 season. Despite suffering a groin injury that saw him miss a total of 13 games, it was his return that eventually sparked Minnesota into the sixth seed, from play-in conversation.</p><p>The team went 17-4 in the last 21 games of the regular season with Randle back, during which he averaged 18.2 points and 5.2 assists. These numbers improved to 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game in the postseason. Randle not only posted impressive individual numbers, but his playmaking and decision-making also played a major role in his team’s late redemption.</p><p>And while he was impressive all through the season, the postseason effectively exposed exactly why Minnesota is right in offering him a new contract. The Timberwolves reached their first Western Conference Finals in two decades with Randle delivering as a scoring and playmaking threat for his team.</p><p>Randle put up 23.9 points and 5.9 assists per game in the series against the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, and had an overall efficiency of 50.2% in the playoffs. Alongside Ant, he has become the Timberwolves’ next best offensive weapon, which has been aptly rewarded by the new contract.</p><p>Further, while Minnesota recognizes Randle’s value, they did not overpay, with the $33.3 million salary seemingly in just the right region for a player of his caliber. The contract keeps the Wolves below second apron territory, which suggests they have gone all in to back their core from last season.</p><p>A three-time All-Star, Randle has also improved on the defensive end and has proven to be a good fit for Chris Finch’s system. The deal therefore appears perfectly balanced. It rewards a player who has already proven his worth while keeping Minnesota in check when it comes to the second apron.</p><p>Perhaps the only downside of the contract is that it all but ensures that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-rumors-pistons-hawks-leaders-steal-away-timberwolves-free-agent-nickeil-alexander-walker">Timberwolves will not be able to keep Nickeil Alexander-Walker</a>, who has attracted interest from several teams. However, considering Julius Randle’s importance to this setup, there is little doubt that the extension is good news for not just the player and the team, but also the fans. </p><p><b>Grade: A</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grading Timberwolves’ $100 million Julius Randle contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-100-million-contract-naz-reid-bonanza');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Julius Randle to sign $100 million contract after Naz Reid bonanza');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Julius-Randle-on-May-24-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Julius Randle to sign $100 million contract after Naz Reid bonanza</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-29T10:35:02-07:00">June 29th, 10:35am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-29T11:06:43-07:00">June 29th, 11:06am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After losing in the Western Conference Finals in two consecutive seasons, the Timberwolves had some tough decisions to make this offseason. Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were all slated to be free agents, leaving Minnesota at risk of losing a large part of its core.</p><p>Now, a day before free agency officially opens, the Timberwolves have locked up two of those key pieces up long term. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-naz-reid-125-million-contract-minnesota">Reid signed a five-year, $125 million deal</a> to stay in Minnesota, Randle has now agreed to a <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1939374267789168854" rel="noopener">three-year, $100 million deal</a> with the Wolves before hitting the open market according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>Randle has a player option before the 2027-28 season, so he has two guaranteed years in Minnesota before making a decision on the final year of this deal.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-promise-grieving-game-5-loss-hints-future">Timberwolves will be happy to be keeping Randle around</a> after acquiring him from the New York Knicks in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns before the 2024-25 season. While the fit between Randle and Anthony Edwards took a while to take shape, the two were both playing very good basketball in the playoffs and helped lead the Wolves to two playoff series wins.</p><p>Randle’s overall numbers were down a bit in his first year in Minnesota, but he still averaged 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Now that he is settled into the system in Minnesota, he should be able to be even more productive in year two with the franchise.</p><p>Retaining <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-chris-finch-julius-randle-naz-reid-minnesota-future">Reid and Randle both means that Chris Finch will have plenty of lineup versatility</a> in the front court again next season as those two play alongside Rudy Gobert. That will make it very challenging for Western Conference teams to play the Wolves up front once again.</p><p>The biggest question that comes from this Randle contract is now the status of Alexander-Walker. The Timberwolves didn’t have a ton of money to spend this offseason to start with, and now they are spending just under $60 million annually on Randle and Reid. That likely doesn’t leave enough left for Alexander-Walker, who should have a very robust market this offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Julius Randle to sign $100 million contract after Naz Reid bonanza

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-rudy-gobert-julius-randle-problem-kevin-durant-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves rumors: The Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle problem in Kevin Durant trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kevin-Durant-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves rumors: The Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle problem in Kevin Durant trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-23T14:30:50-07:00">June 23rd, 2:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-23T15:03:52-07:00">June 23rd, 3:03pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves are clearly becoming one of the best teams in the Western Conference as Anthony Edwards almost led the squad to the NBA Finals this year. The Timberwolves aren’t going anywhere, and it looked like they might bring in a big addition this offseason as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/nba-rumors-timberwolves-playing-hardball-in-kevin-durant-trade">rumors about a Kevin Durant trade</a> grew loud recently.</p><p>However, those hopes were officially squashed on Sunday when Durant landed with the Houston Rockets.</p><p>Not too long ago, all of the chatter surrounding a Kevin Durant trade was centered around the Timberwolves. Minnesota tried to go for it at the trade deadline, but the team backed away <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-kevin-durant-trade-rockets-suns-heat-timberwolves-raptors-thunder-pacers-kings/" rel="noopener">after some concerns</a> reportedly surfaced.</p><p>“The Minnesota Timberwolves had multiple concerns about trading for Kevin Durant, which is partly why the 15-time All-Star didn’t land with the organization after making an aggressive pitch for him at the trade deadline,” a report from Hoops Hype states.</p><p>A big reason why the Timberwolves backed off is the fact that there were other destinations that were higher on Durant’s list. The Phoenix Suns were also reportedly targeting Rudy Gobert in trade discussions, and that had a big impact as well.</p><p>“The Timberwolves were concerned about trading for Durant when Minnesota wasn’t on his preferred list of destinations,” the report continued. “In addition, the Suns desired Rudy Gobert in trade talks, and losing their French defensive anchor to pair Julius Randle and Kevin Durant in the frontcourt together wasn’t seen as an ideal pairing defensively, HoopsHype has learned.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/kevin-durant-trade-offer-timberwolves-make-suns-seal-deal">The Timberwolves looked like a likely suitor</a> for Kevin Durant at one point, but he ended up with the Houston Rockets. Houston does seem like a good fit for Durant as the team did finish in second place in the Western Conference last season.</p><p>Will Durant be able to help get them over the hump, or will the Rockets be the latest ship to sink following the arrival of the unique superstar talent?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves rumors: The Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle problem in Kevin Durant trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-chris-finch-julius-randle-naz-reid-minnesota-future');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Finch’s 2-word mic drop on Julius Randle, Naz Reid’s Timberwolves future');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Timberwolves-head-coach-Chris-Finch-greets-forward-Julius-Randle.jpg"><figcaption>© Jim Rassol-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chris Finch’s 2-word mic drop on Julius Randle, Naz Reid’s Timberwolves future</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-17T11:27:02-07:00">June 17th, 11:27am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-17T11:32:05-07:00">June 17th, 11:32am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/colinloughran">Colin Loughran</a>Colin Loughran is a NYC-based Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He has spent several years covering sports and has worked for outlets such as the New York Post, AP Radio, and FanSided. Colin is also a three-time NYSBA award winner and a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA offseason will bring both <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-rumors-minnesotas-stance-amid-kevin-durants-disinterest">expected and surprising changes,</a> but Minnesota Timberwolves head coach <a href="https://x.com/JonKrawczynski/status/1934987194181283944" rel="noopener">Chris Finch expects</a> both Julius Randle and Naz Reid to remain with the team.</p><p>“Absolutely, yes,” Finch told KFAN’s Paul Allen, via Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.</p><p>“I think both players want to be there. That’s first and foremost the most important thing. We certainly want them there. I know Tim Connelly is working hard to make sure that they get some sort of deal done that makes them happy and want to stay, and feel gratitude that the team is taking care of them.”</p><p>Both Randle and Reid were important parts of the Timberwolves’ run to their second straight Western Conference Finals appearance this spring.</p><p>Randle struggled early in the campaign, but found his footing as the season progressed. The 30-year-old was particularly good for the bulk of the playoffs. Across 15 contests, he averaged 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while shooting around 50 percent from the field.</p><p>The Kentucky product has a $31 million player option, but could also look to test the market and see if another team would be interested. The former New York Knick might also be able to net an extension from Minnesota this offseason, depending on how they view his long-term fit.</p><p>Reid has become a key part of the Timberwolves bench, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/ranking-3-best-naz-reid-free-agency-destinations-if-he-leaves-timberwolves">could easily be a starter</a> for another contending team. Across 80 games this past season, the former undrafted free agent averaged 14.2 points and 6 rebounds while shooting roughly 46 percent from the field.</p><p>He has a player option for a little more than $15 million, but could opt out and attempt to find a new home elsewhere. There would certainly be a number of suitors interested in seeing if the former Sixth Man of the Year could be a full-time starter or simply continue to be a championship-caliber bench presence.</p><p>While both are in unique situations, they have each expressed a desire to stay in Minnesota alongside both Finch and All-Star, Anthony Edwards.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Finch’s 2-word mic drop on Julius Randle, Naz Reid’s Timberwolves future

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-julius-randle-labeled-nba-free-agencys-most-interesting-man');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves rumors: Julius Randle labeled NBA free agency’s ‘most interesting man’');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Julius-Randle-on-May-24-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves rumors: Julius Randle labeled NBA free agency’s ‘most interesting man’</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-01T14:54:47-07:00">June 1st, 2:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-01T14:54:47-07:00">June 1st, 2:54pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the scenario of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-3-best-julius-randle-free-agency-destinations-if-he-leaves-timberwolves">Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle becoming a free agent</a> this offseason, it seems as if the team will have to make a key decision in getting back a player who was one of the sparkplugs of a deep playoff run. As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-what-marc-stein-said-about-kevin-durant-trade-pursuit-after-wcf-loss">Timberwolves are surrounded by rumors</a> after losing in the Western Conference Finals in five games, the situation around Randle is intriguing to many analysts.</p><p>Jake Fischer’s latest blog for “The Stein Line” spoke about what Minnesota’s offseason could look like and even expressed that the aspect around Randle is <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/on-nba-free-agency-2025s-most-interesting?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=164939086&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener">“the most interesting.”</a> He would say, as proven by as little as something as a picture, “he wants to stay” with the team, though June 29 is the deadline for whether to opt in to his $30.9 million player option.</p><p>“To me, though, Randle’s situation is the most interesting,” Fischer wrote. “The Wolves were never more effective this season than when Randle was absolutely rolling as a downhill driver. By April, according to [Donte] DiVincenzo’s analysis, Randle was making the right read on every play. Draymond Green came away from Golden State’s second-round exit to these Wolves describing Randle as just the second big man to outplay him in a head-to-head matchup in Green’s Hall of Fame career. Isn’t that the sort of player you want to retain?”</p><h2><b>Julius Randle’s contract with the Timberwolves is a key factor </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Julius-Randle-on-May-24-20252.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-julius-randle-playoff-reputation-minnesota">Randle has been a standout for the Timberwolves,</a> whether it be in the postseason or during the regular season, it doesn’t seem so certain he will be back, as the plans for the team are uncertain. Fischer questions if the path is to either build on what they already have or go after a big star, with Kevin Durant’s name mentioned as he’s likely not to play for the Phoenix Suns next season.</p><p>“The far more challenging aspects of Minnesota’s offseason will be figuring out Randle’s role — and salary — as well as deciding whether to persist with the current core or pursue yet another dramatic change,” Fischer wrote. “The Suns are expected to make Durant available again in coming weeks after settling upon a new coach.”</p><p>“Any trade of magnitude from the Wolves this summer would likely require Randle opting into his deal,” Fischer continued. “His salary could naturally function as a significant piece in the pursuit of a Durant. Of course, in such scenarios, dialogue with Randle and his representation would be required, only adding to the complications.”</p><p>It remains to be seen what happens with Randle and Minnesota, but there’s no doubt the interest is there to retain the former New York Knick.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves rumors: Julius Randle labeled NBA free agency’s ‘most interesting man’

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/ranking-3-best-julius-randle-free-agency-destinations-if-he-leaves-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking 3 best Julius Randle free-agency destinations if he leaves Timberwolves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/746027693-julius-randle-playing-for-the-timberwolves-t-wolves-logo-in-background.jpg"></figure><h1>Ranking 3 best Julius Randle free-agency destinations if he leaves Timberwolves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-29T12:56:00-07:00">May 29th, 12:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-29T12:56:00-07:00">May 29th, 12:56pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Brooklyn Nets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves will do their best to return all of Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker this offseason, but one or more of those potential <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/top-25-nba-free-agents-2025-nba-offseason">free agents</a> seem likely to walk in free agency. Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent, whereas Randle and Reid have player options on their contracts.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-3-best-naz-reid-free-agency-destinations-if-he-leaves-timberwolves">Reid will likely decline his option and pursue a big deal</a>, but there is a good chance that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-promise-grieving-game-5-loss-hints-future">Randle will accept his option and return to Minnesota</a> because he is slated to make over $30 million next season. That makes him the most likely to return to the Timberwolves next season of those potential free agents.</p><p>Even so, it is far from a guarantee that Randle will be suiting up for the Timberwolves again. The power forward thrived in the postseason and helped get Minnesota into the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season.</p><p>The bruising big man is a polarizing player due to his questionable shot selection and streaky efficiency, but he is clearly an asset. It is possible that he’d find a big payday on the open market. So if Randle were to leave the Timberwolves, what are his best free-agent fits?</p><h2><b>1. Julius Randle to the Nets</b></h2><p>The Brooklyn Nets want to go star hunting this offseason, and they’ve been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/brooklyn-nets/nets-giannis-antetokounmpo-trade-pursuit-gaining-momentum">linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo</a>. A trade for the two-time MVP will be easier said than done, especially because Brooklyn would have to fork over a lot of talent in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks.</p><p>Instead, the Nets could find their star in free agency in the form of Randle. While the power forward from Kentucky isn’t an All-NBA caliber player, he has actually made three All-Star Games. Randle has averaged as much as 25.1 points per game in a season, and he would be free to get up plenty of shots in Brooklyn.</p><p>Randle can hit jump shots, get buckets inside off of post-ups, and score off the bounce. He alone might not be enough to turn the Nets into a playoff team, but Brooklyn has more projected <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/_/year/2025" rel="noopener">cap space</a> than any other team. The Nets could outbid everybody for Randle’s services and still have enough room to make another big deal.</p><h2><b>2. Julius Randle to the Hornets</b></h2><p>The Charlotte Hornets have talent on their roster. LaMelo Ball is elite when he is healthy. Miles Bridges is one of the best dunkers in the NBA, and Brandon Miller and Tidjane Salaun are recent high draft picks with tons of potential. Even Mark Williams impressed after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/history-rescinded-failed-nba-trades-mark-williams-nullified-deal">returning to the Hornets because of a failed physical</a> after the team tried to trade him to the Lakers.</p><p>That hasn’t translated into wins, though. Randle is a gritty player and veteran leader who could push the Hornets in the right direction. Randle has experience turning bad teams into good ones. The Lakers were horrible when they drafted him, but they got better and better while he was with the team.</p><p>The same can be said about his time with the New York Knicks. Randle even got the Timberwolves into the Western Conference Finals after many criticized the team for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/grading-karl-anthony-towns-julius-randle-knicks-timberwolves-trade">trading Karl-Anthony Towns</a> for him.</p><p>Randle will be 31 years old next season, so he doesn’t fit the Hornets’ timeline perfectly. The team needs a boost to get to the next level, though. Randle always plays hard, and his attitude could rub off on a team that has struggled with culture in recent years.</p><h2><b>3. Julius Randle to the Spurs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/746027706-julius-randle-western-conference-finals.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Victor Wembanyama is a unicorn. The former first overall pick stands 7-feet-4-inches tall, but he is also incredibly skinny. That hasn’t negatively affected the San Antonio Spurs star so far in his young career.</p><p>Wembanyama would have won the Defensive Player of the Year award had his season not <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/victor-wembanyama-chris-bosh-history-blood-clots-nba-players">ended early due to blood clotting</a>, and he still managed to lead the league in blocks despite not playing after the All-Star Weekend.</p><p>Even so, pairing Wembanyama with a meaty and strong player like Randle makes sense. Randle uses a bully ball style of play that would perfectly complement Wembanyama’s finesse game.</p><p>Opponents that go at Randle are met by a brick wall, but Wembanyama is too lanky to be scored on very often. Opposing teams wouldn’t have a lot of options when facing the Spurs if they signed Randle.</p><p>The Spurs are well on their way to contending for a title. Fans haven’t seen much of Wembanyama with his new point guard yet. The team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-trade-grade-deaaron-fox-blockbuster">traded for De’Aaron Fox</a> last year, and his speed and clutch ability give the team a great star duo.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-stephon-castle-joins-victor-wembanyama-rookie-of-the-year-award">Stephon Castle is also coming off a Rookie of the Year</a> campaign, and the team even holds two lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft, including the second overall pick. The team is on the right trajectory, but the addition of Randle would catapult them into contention.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranking 3 best Julius Randle free-agency destinations if he leaves Timberwolves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-fans-roast-julius-randle-pathetic-half-vs-thunder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fans roast Timberwolves’ Julius Randle for pathetic half vs. Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oklahoma-City-Thunder-guard-Alex-Caruso-9-steals-the-ball.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Fans roast Timberwolves’ Julius Randle for pathetic half vs. Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-28T19:13:27-07:00">May 28th, 7:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-28T19:13:27-07:00">May 28th, 7:13pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Julius Randle had a brutal first half in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/fans-eviscerate-timberwolves-after-pathetic-game-5-start-vs-thunder">Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder</a> on Wednesday night. Fans did not hold back on him.</p><p>In 17 minutes of action, Randle had eight points, one rebound, one assist, and a steal. He shot 3-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc.</p><p>While he scored 25% of the Timberwolves’ 32 points in the first half, Randle had a hard time dealing with the Thunder’s defense. He committed four turnovers, which allowed Oklahoma City to go on huge runs to lead by 33 points at the halftime break.</p><p>It didn’t take long for fans to react to Randle’s first-half performance, roasting him for his struggles as it continues in this series. Here are some of their reactions.</p><p>“Hahaha the story of Julius Randle… gives you a great game or 2 but can’t get it done when it’s do or die against the best teams in the playoffs,” one fan <a href="https://x.com/nostalgichoops7/status/1927907850161955228" rel="noopener">said</a>.</p><p>“Julius Randle looks like a random park player out there. He’s been horrible,” another <a href="https://x.com/ayodeji_pieters/status/1927907605562757157" rel="noopener">remarked</a>.</p><p>“The way Julius Randle has collapsed in this series has been very shocking.. He has been on a steep decline from game one, considering he was having career play performances against the warriors,” one <a href="https://x.com/Bchibromaa/status/1927907124614418605" rel="noopener">commented</a>.</p><p>“Julius Randle tricked the league again? Who coulda seen that coming? 🤷🏾‍♂️,” one <a href="https://x.com/yungmustard23/status/1927906917478764872" rel="noopener">questioned</a> with sarcasm.</p><p>“I don’t think it’s possible to understate the impact a player like Julius Randle completely giving up has on the score of this game. I’d way watch players miss shots than watch Randle walk around and let Alex Caruso prance by him uncontested,” a fan <a href="https://x.com/SamDarrelBFF/status/1927906541438435760" rel="noopener">stated</a>.</p><h2><b>What lies ahead for Julius Randle, Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Oklahoma-City-Thunder-Chet-Holmgren.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>To be fair to Julius Randle, the Timberwolves have had a nightmare start to the first half of Game 5.</p><p>If scoring just 32 points wasn’t bad enough, they gave up 65 points on defense. Knowing how the Thunder is potent on defense, they shouldn’t have given up the ball 14 times.</p><p>Oklahoma City thrives on mistakes the opposing team, making it jarring for Minnesota to commit many errors. It also doesn’t help that their shot selection has been inefficient, making just 30.8% of their total attempts.</p><p>If the Timberwolves come back to win Game 5, they will host Game 6 on May 30 at 8:30 p.m. If they don’t, their 2024-25 campaign will officially come to a close.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fans roast Timberwolves’ Julius Randle for pathetic half vs. Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-admits-spectating-too-much-game-4-dud');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Julius Randle again admits to ‘spectating’ too much after Game 4 dud');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Julius-Randle-2.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Julius Randle again admits to ‘spectating’ too much after Game 4 dud</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-27T07:48:21-07:00">May 27th, 7:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-27T07:48:21-07:00">May 27th, 7:48am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-nickeil-alexander-walker-admits-it-definitely-sucks-lose-game-4">Minnesota Timberwolves lost Game 4</a> against the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-126, and they are now down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals. They trailed for most of the game, and they were really never able to take control. It was another down performance from Julius Randle, who finished the game with five points and shot 1-for-7 from the field.</p><p>Similar to Game 2, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-under-fire-game-4-thunder">Randle could not get anything going</a> on the offensive end, and it doomed the Timberwolves when they needed one of their star players to step up. After Game 4, Randle admitted that he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6384044/2025/05/27/timberwolves-game-4-west-finals-loss-thunder/" rel="noopener">needed to find a way</a> to get involved.</p><p>“I think it was just a lot of me just spectating,” Randle said via The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. “I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself involved in actions.”</p><p>Luckily for the Timberwolves, Jaden McDaniels and the bench played at a high level, which was a big reason why they stayed in the game. If Randle had given the Timberwolves a little more, there’s a good chance that they could have walked away with the win and tied the series 2-2.</p><p>Now, the Timberwolves are staring at a 3-1 deficit, and it’s win-or-go-home for them as they head back to Oklahoma City.</p><h2><b>Julius Randle must play better for the Timberwolves</b></h2><p>As the Timberwolves look to extend their playoff lives, Randle knows that he has to play better in order for them to win. In Game 2, head coach Chris Finch sat him for most of the second half because of his play, and in Game 4, he didn’t play down the stretch of a close game.</p><p>“I’ve got to figure out a way to get myself in position to be more aggressive, rather than just standing, spectating or trying to crash the glass,” Randle said. “Or I can just find other little things to do.”</p><p>Not only did Randle not have the best game, but Anthony Edwards also struggled to get much offense going. Despite his shooting numbers and only scoring 16 points, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-shuts-down-notion-struggled-game-4-vs-thunder">Edwards didn’t think he had a bad night</a>.</p><p>“I made the right play all night so I don’t really look at it like I struggled,” Edwards said. “I didn’t get enough shots to say I struggled. I didn’t struggle at all.”</p><p>The Timberwolves are going to have to go into a hostile environment in Game 5 and try to get a win to extend their series, and Randle and Edwards need to show up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Julius Randle again admits to ‘spectating’ too much after Game 4 dud

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-under-fire-game-4-thunder');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Julius Randle under fire after catastrophic Game 4 vs. Thunder');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Julius-Randle_b40978.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Julius Randle under fire after catastrophic Game 4 vs. Thunder</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-27T06:50:21-07:00">May 27th, 6:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-27T06:50:21-07:00">May 27th, 6:50am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-nickeil-alexander-walker-admits-it-definitely-sucks-lose-game-4">Timberwolves have found themselves down 3-1</a> in their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder after losing 128-126 in Game 4. The Timberwolves trailed for most of the game but they kept it close, and toward the end, they had a chance to take over, but they didn’t execute.</p><p>The Timberwolves got big games from Jaden McDaniels and their bench, but it was Julius Randle who once again did not have a game to remember. Randle finished with five shots and shot 1-for-7 from the field, while also adding five turnovers. He <a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1927203342784045566" rel="noopener">couldn’t get into a rhythm</a> all game, and he tried to find other ways to be successful, while crashing the boards and being a playmaker.</p><p>Randle’s performance didn’t sit well with people on social media, and they let him have it after the game.</p><p>“As many turnovers as points. Smfh,” <a href="https://x.com/thomasis23/status/1927204702996820126" rel="noopener">one user tweeted</a> on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Randle and Ant were no shows in the biggest game of the season lol Ant still got a level to go to be elite,” a <a href="https://x.com/hopefulmetsfan/status/1927203848642302378" rel="noopener">second user wrote</a>.</p><p>“Timberwolves look so down tbh. They had too many chances. Mid game, Ant and Randle look so lost. It’s really important for leaders to be poised in these big games. Gotta give it to Thunder. They look so calm and in control,” a <a href="https://x.com/lukasledilec/status/1927204812052897847" rel="noopener">third user wrote</a>.</p><p>With the Timberwolves having their back against the wall, their star players are going to have to show up for the rest of the series.</p><h2><b>Timberwolves stars did not step up in Game 4</b></h2><p>Not only did Randle not have a great performance, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-shuts-down-notion-struggled-game-4-vs-thunder" rel="noopener">Anthony Edwards was not his usual self</a> in Game 4 as well, as he finished with 16 points and six assists, while shooting 5-for-13 from the field. The Thunder made sure to show Edwards a body or two on every possession, and they made sure to get the ball out of his hand.</p><p>After the game, Edwards shared that he didn’t think he had a bad game.</p><p>“I made the right play all night so I don’t really look at it like I struggled,” Edwards <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1927217732765831430?s=46" rel="noopener">said post-game</a>. “I didn’t get enough shots to say I struggled. I didn’t struggle at all.”</p><p>If the Timberwolves want to win, they’re going to have to get big games from Edwards and Randle, their two best players. From them to both have down games and still lose by two should say a lot, but it won’t be like that all the time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Julius Randle under fire after catastrophic Game 4 vs. Thunder

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-opens-up-special-pairing-anthony-edwards');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Julius Randle opens up about ‘special’ pairing with Anthony Edwards');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Julius-Randle-opens-up-about-special-pairing-with-Anthony-Edwards.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Julius Randle opens up about ‘special’ pairing with Anthony Edwards</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-26T18:33:53-07:00">May 26th, 6:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-26T18:33:53-07:00">May 26th, 6:33pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Julius Randle has seen himself get <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-julius-randle-playoff-reputation-minnesota">comfortable with the Minnesota Timberwolves</a>, especially when it comes to his chemistry with Anthony Edwards.</p><p>Randle joined the Timberwolves after an offseason trade ended his time with the New York Knicks after five seasons. Entering his best years as a star player, Randle wanted to make sure he maintained his high-level form while being a co-star to Edwards.</p><p>Safe to say it was worked for him, Edwards and the Timberwolves so far. Ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Monday, Randle <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1927163502646419871" rel="noopener">explained what makes his fit</a> with Edwards and Minnesota unique.</p><p>“They made me feel extremely comfortable and wanted. Already knew [Chris] Finch, had a great relationship with him, and just being around Ant, Ant is special. We know what he does on the court, but just his personality, how he is as a leader, making everybody feel included. I felt that from day one. So we got a special group of people here, for sure,” Randle said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Julius Randle joins NBA Countdown to talk about his time with Minnesota and his mindset from Game 2 to Game 3 in the Western Conference finals.<a href="https://twitter.com/stephenasmith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stephenasmith</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KendrickPerkins</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@malika_andrews</a> <a href="https://t.co/DvnFyIPs8V">pic.twitter.com/DvnFyIPs8V</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1927163502646419871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What lies ahead for Julius Randle, Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Julius-Randle-opens-up-about-special-pairing-with-Anthony-Edwards-1.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Julius Randle’s first season with Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves turned out to be a success.</p><p>Throughout the regular season, Randle averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game after 69 appearances. He even elevated his game in the playoffs, putting up 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest.</p><p>He helped play a solid role in the Timberwolves winning 49 games and making their run to the West Finals. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in five games each, as Randle and Edwards utilized their dynamic in an effective manner.</p><p>Minnesota finds themselves trailing 2-1 in the series against the Thunder. The Timberwolves look to make their first-ever NBA Finals, so to do that, they need Randle and Edwards to be at their best moving forward.</p><p>Whether the Timberwolves win Game 4 or not, they will have Game 5 to play against the Thunder. The contest will take place on May 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Julius Randle opens up about ‘special’ pairing with Anthony Edwards

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-important-message-to-julius-randle-after-game-2-benching');   ga('set', 'title', 'Anthony Edwards’ important message to Timberwolves’ Julius Randle after Game 2 benching');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Anthony-Edwards-and-Julius-Randle-on-May-14-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Anthony Edwards’ important message to Timberwolves’ Julius Randle after Game 2 benching</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-26T08:23:46-07:00">May 26th, 8:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-26T08:23:46-07:00">May 26th, 8:23am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-charles-barkley-hits-minnesota-strong-warning-game-4">Minnesota Timberwolves preparing for Game 4 as</a> they’re down 2-1 in the series to the Oklahoma City Thunder, there’s no doubt that Game 2 had a major impact on the team, one player in particular being Julius Randle. As <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-game-4-warning-42-point-thunder-blowout">Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to a blowout win in Game 3</a>, he also had a crucial message to Randle after he was benched in the contest before.</p><p>ESPN’s Brian Windhorst detailed how Edwards’ leadership was put on display after the Game 2 loss in the flight back to Minnesota, which led to the team winning by 42 points against the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. For Randle specifically, Edwards <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45321414/anthony-edwards-flight-minnesota-timberwolves-42-point-blowout-oklahoma-city-thunder" rel="noopener">would emphasize not letting his spirits down</a> as the former New York Knicks big man admitted his emotions might’ve gotten the better of him after the benching, according to ESPN.</p><p>“I’m the one who keeps saying that it’s all about winning, and regardless, as a competitor, you don’t want to let your emotions overtake what’s best for the team,” Randle said. “I wanted to make sure I came back the same, whether it’s a good day or a bad day … as hard as it is at times, you got to check your ego at the door and that’s what I try to do.</p><p>“And I think it’s, honestly, it’s beneficial for me because when I do that and I get myself lost in the team, I’m able to come back and play.”</p><h2><b>Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards was a “positive voice” after Game 2 </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Anthony-Edwards-on-May-24-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-minnesota-franchise-history-game-3-destruction-thunder">Timberwolves having a historic destruction</a> against the Thunder, the team looks to tie the series, but it will have to be with the lead of Edwards, whether it’s on or off the court, as his leadership has been shown. Besides what was detailed before in hyping up his team on the flight back to Minnesota, he also scored 30 points in Game 3, along with Randle scoring 24.</p><p>His command for the team was praised by Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, and even said how he was “one of the most positive voices” after the team went down 0-2 in the series. Finch and Randle would settle the possible tension as well after the player was benched, as the two had a conversation in the shootaround after Game 2, as per Windhorst.</p><p>“He always comes in a good mood, and he’s always ready to go. He was one of the most positive voices after Game 2,” Finch said. “The leadership that [Edwards] has shown this season is up by leaps and bounds. It’s just another example of it.”</p><p>At any rate, Minnesota looks to tie the series at two apiece with Game 4 against Oklahoma City taking place on Monday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Anthony Edwards’ important message to Timberwolves’ Julius Randle after Game 2 benching

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-7-word-mic-drop-knicks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves forward Julius Randle’s 7-word mic drop on Knicks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/jULIUS-rANDLE_f32030.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves forward Julius Randle’s 7-word mic drop on Knicks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-25T08:09:03-07:00">May 25th, 8:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-25T08:09:47-07:00">May 25th, 8:09am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Eight months after a blockbuster trade separated the two sides, there is no love lost between <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-unfinished-business-truth-bomb-knicks-trade">Julius Randle and the New York Knicks</a>. Despite spending the majority of his 11-year career with the team, Randle is now fully committed to the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>Since landing in Minnesota, Randle claims he has thought about nothing but the Timberwolves. When asked if he has talked to any of his former Knicks teammates since the trade, he slyly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4RwggfATRI" rel="noopener">suggested that he has not</a> while largely avoiding the question.</p><p>“I wouldn’t tell you if I did,” Randle said in the Western Conference Finals Game 3 post-game presser.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Julius Randle after arriving in Minnesota:</p><p>"Drove around the area, ate some of the food, hung around some of the coaches &amp; players, embracing a fresh new start. It happened pretty quick. I was excited"</p><p>When asked if he's talked to former Knicks:</p><p>"I wouldn't tell you if I did" <a href="https://t.co/ZgwXBoilwr">pic.twitter.com/ZgwXBoilwr</a></p><p>— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) <a href="https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1926485988550799741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Knicks traded Randle to the Timberwolves one month before the 2024-2025 season. They sent Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a 2025 first-round draft pick to receive Karl-Anthony Towns in return. The trade has been largely a win-win, as both teams advanced further in the 2025 playoffs than they did in 2024.</p><p>Though both teams currently trail in their respective conference finals matchups, the Timberwolves and Knicks could meet in the 2025 NBA Finals. Minnesota’s dominant Game 3 victory puts them on the board, but they are still down 2-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. New York, meanwhile, is down 2-0 to the Indiana Pacers, losing each of the first two games at home.</p><h2><b>Julius Randle shows out for Timberwolves in Game 3</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1577.jpeg"><figcaption>Brad Rempel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While Randle has underwhelmed in the 2025 playoffs, he delivered for Minnesota in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. Coming off a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-benched-in-loss-to-thunder-amid-career-worst-performance">six-point dud in Game 2</a>, Randle scored 24 points on an efficient 9-for-15 from the field on Saturday night. He ended Game 3 with a team-high plus-minus of plus-38.</p><p>Randle’s resurgence was a major factor in the Timberwolves’ massive 42-point victory. Minnesota burst out of the gates to take a quick lead and never looked back, dominating the entire contest.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-dominates-with-16-point-first-quarter-vs-thunder">Anthony Edwards led the team</a> with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. However, the blowout was mostly the result of Minnesota’s depth, as seven players reached double figures. Terrence Shannon Jr., Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid and Leonard Miller all reached double digits off the bench.</p><p>The Thunder struggled offensively as much as the Timberwolves thrived. No player for Oklahoma City scored more than 14 points as the team hit just 40.7 percent of its field goals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren combined for just 37 points after posting 86 as a trio in Game 2.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle’s 7-word mic drop on Knicks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-scary-anthony-edwards-warning-game-3');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Julius Randle sends scary Anthony Edwards warning after Game 3');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Randle-Edwards.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Julius Randle sends scary Anthony Edwards warning after Game 3</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-25T07:28:17-07:00">May 25th, 7:28am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-25T07:28:17-07:00">May 25th, 7:28am</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-minnesota-franchise-history-game-3-destruction-thunder">Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t going down quietly</a> in this Western Conference Finals series despite being heavy underdogs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After a pair of blowouts in the first two games in Oklahoma City, the Wolves responded with a huge performance in Game 3, winning 143-101 to cut the deficit in half.</p><p>As usual for the Timberwolves, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-different-x-factor-game-3-thunder">Anthony Edwards was the catalyst</a> that got everything going. He scored 12 early points in this one to help his squad get out to a big early lead, and he and the Wolves never looked back.</p><p>The superstar wing, fresh off of being named Second Team All-NBA, finished the game with 30 points in just 30 minutes on a hyper-efficient 12-for-17 shooting. He seems to have finally found his rhythm against this elite Oklahoma City defense after a rough Game 1 and has put together two straight solid games.</p><p>After the game, Julius Randle <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1926484828167258342" rel="noopener">sent a warning</a> to the rest of the league as Edwards starts to heat up just at the right time.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Julius Randle:</p><p>"Ant's always locked in. It can always be that kind of night for him. He's special. There's nothing that anybody can do to slow him down or stop him" <a href="https://t.co/RY44eqmPpF">pic.twitter.com/RY44eqmPpF</a></p><p>— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) <a href="https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1926484828167258342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Ant’s always locked in,” Randle said. “It can always be that kind of night for him. He’s special. There’s nothing that anybody can do to slow him down or stop him. We’ve just gotta continue to help him and play the game smartly and make it easy for him. It’s that kind of night for Ant every night. He’s that special.”</p><p>So far in his career, Edwards has proven Randle right in the playoffs time and time again, already leading the Wolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals at just 23 years old.</p><p>While Edwards has clearly grown on the court and honed his skill set to become one of the biggest stars in basketball, he has also become a leader for this Timberwolves squad at such a young age. Randle spoke about Edwards <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1926490035588563380" rel="noopener">as a leader</a> after the Game 3 win.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Julius on Ant taking on a leadership role:</p><p>"I just think he's very in tune with his teammates and what's going on. He's like the definition of selfless. He knows I'm hot, like I'm upset…he like bro just shake back, you good, like don't worry about it. He's very mature" <a href="https://t.co/7jqNCbhTKG">pic.twitter.com/7jqNCbhTKG</a></p><p>— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) <a href="https://twitter.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1926490035588563380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I just think he’s very in tune with his teammates and what’s going on,” Edwards said. “As great of a player as Ant is and as special as he is on a night to night basis, he’s like the definition of selfless. Shortly after (Game 2), he knows I’m hot, like I’m upset, not just cause we lost but I wanna play well and I felt like I didn’t help my team out at all. He was the first one, he saw me and he was like ‘bro just shake back, you good, like don’t worry about it.’ As the flight went on I was able to start smiling with him, laughing again and we’re playing cards and all that stuff. He’s very mature.”</p><p>The Timberwolves will need Edwards to be at his very best both on and off the court over the next four games if they want to shock everyone and knock off the Thunder. All indications are that he is shifting through the gears at the right time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
25.0	6.8	5.3	0.5	1.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
25.0	6.8	5.3	0.5	1.3

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