{"id":198639,"date":"2026-06-03T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=198639"},"modified":"2026-06-02T17:33:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T21:33:06","slug":"julius-randle-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/03\/julius-randle-future\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Julius Randle Fit as Timberwolves Build Around Anthony Edwards?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 own offseason messaging is quietly revealing which players the team views as the long-term core. Julius Randle<\/a> is not one of them. That distinction belongs to Anthony Edwards<\/a> and a group of younger teammates whose names keep coming up in every conversation about the Wolves\u2019 future.<\/p>\n

The question is not whether Randle struggled, but whether the organization\u2019s stated priorities still include him.<\/p>\n

How Does Julius Randle Fit as Timberwolves Build Around Anthony Edwards?<\/h2>\n

Minnesota Enters the Offseason With Major Decisions Ahead<\/h3>\n

The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs. On May 19, Tim Connelly, the team’s president of basketball operations, spoke to reporters. He emphasized<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to be as aggressive as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said the team was \u201cnot good enough right now.\u201d No decision this summer carries more weight than Randle\u2019s. Connelly sidestepped questions about whether Randle still fits the long-term plan.<\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Tim Connelly\u2019s Sub-26 Comment Shifted the Focus<\/h3>\n

At that same press conference, Connelly praised Minnesota\u2019s \u201csub-26 core.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0The players naturally included in that discussion are Edwards, Jaden McDaniels<\/a>, Naz Reid<\/a>, Rob Dillingham<\/a>, Terrence Shannon Jr.<\/a>, and Joan Beringer<\/a>. Randle turned 31 in November. He is not in that age group.<\/p>\n

Connelly did not say Randle<\/a> is not part of the future. That would be false. What he said is that the organization\u2019s confidence lies in its youngest players. Connelly specifically cited internal development as a critical factor, telling reporters, \u201cWe think we have a couple of guys whose roles will be much bigger next year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those comments naturally shift attention toward the younger foundation and raise questions about how veteran pieces fit that timeline.<\/p>\n

Naz Reid\u2019s Rise Makes the Timeline Gap Obvious<\/h3>\n

Reid is viewed within the organization as part of the core moving forward. A few years ago, he was a rotational luxury. Now, he is a necessity. The 26-year-old fits Edwards\u2019 timeline, continues improving and is under long-term control after signing a five-year, $125 million contract<\/a> last summer.<\/p>\n

Reid\u2019s importance was further underscored by his own exit interview, where he pointed to \u201cmoodiness\u201d<\/a> as the gap between Minnesota and the league\u2019s best.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we have more than enough talent,” Reid added<\/a>. I think we have more than enough guys bringing it to the table and can compete at a high level, but just being less moody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reid\u2019s stability gives Minnesota a foundational frontcourt piece that aligns with its stated timeline. That directly affects how the front office evaluates other positions.<\/p>\n

Julius Randle\u2019s Playoff Numbers Tell an Uncomfortable Story<\/h3>\n

Randle averaged 16.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists across 12 playoff games while shooting 39.0 percent from the field, per StatMuse<\/a>. In the six-game series against San Antonio, he shot 34.2 percent. His plus-minus across the four losses to the Spurs was -93, according to MPR News<\/a>. Those are not role-player numbers on a contender\u2019s second option.<\/p>\n

The main problem is the offensive fit. Minnesota\u2019s scoring slowed down when Randle controlled the ball as the main playmaker. Head coach Chris Finch admitted this after the team was eliminated. He focused on the future instead of the veteran player. Finch praised<\/a> the team\u2019s \u201cyoung core around Anthony, Jaden, and Naz.\u201d His choice of those three names is notable, as Randle\u2019s was not among them.<\/p>\n

The Salary Sheet Forces a Choice<\/h3>\n

Edwards, Rudy Gobert<\/a>, Randle, McDaniels, and Reid occupy significant payroll portions. Edwards is owed $48.9 million next season, Gobert $36.5 million, and Randle $33.3 million, according to Spotrac<\/a>. Minnesota operates near the second apron. Connelly acknowledged the difficulty, saying, \u201cWhere it becomes more problematic is your inability to deal-make when you get to the second apron.\u201d<\/p>\n

Championship teams must eventually choose their priorities, and Minnesota is approaching that moment. Keeping every expensive veteran while improving the roster is impossible under the second apron\u2019s rules. Moving Randle\u2019s contract will likely require adding a draft pick or a young player, making the decision even harder.<\/p>\n

The Case for Keeping Julius Randle is Not Zero<\/h3>\n

Randle averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting 48.1 percent during the regular season, establishing himself as an efficient scorer. His salary also remains on a reasonable contract relative to the rising cap. Connelly pushed back on pinning the Spurs playoff loss on one player, stating<\/a>, \u201cWe don\u2019t win because of one player, lose because of one player.\u201d<\/p>\n

While that stance is fair, Connelly did not commit to Randle\u2019s long-term future in Minnesota, especially following a disappointing postseason that concluded with a 3-point performance in Game 6. The front office\u2019s readiness to be \u201caggressive\u201d and its emphasis on a sub-26 core point toward prioritizing a different timeline. The case for keeping Randle depends entirely on whether his fit improves, which three playoff runs have not demonstrated.<\/p>\n

The Direction of the Conversation is the Clue<\/h3>\n

The clue isn’t one quote, rumor or single bad game. It’s the overarching direction of offseason conversations. Connelly praised the sub-26 core, and Finch name-dropped Edwards, McDaniels and Reid. With the salary structure forcing hard choices, and Randle’s playoff struggles reopening fit questions, a departure is becoming likely.<\/p>\n

The front office has not publicly indicated Randle<\/a> is on his way out. But as the roster’s long-term priorities come sharply into focus, the team’s trajectory centers on Edwards and a younger supporting core. Whether that timeline includes Randle is the biggest question hanging over Minnesota this summer.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 own offseason messaging is quietly revealing which players the team views as the long-term core. Julius Randle is not one of them. That distinction belongs to Anthony Edwards and a group of younger teammates whose names keep coming up in every conversation about the Wolves\u2019 future. The question is not whether Randle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5867,"featured_media":198663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,21,62],"tags":[2109,2559,50090,510,1881,49162,394,50228],"class_list":["post-198639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-timberwolves","category-nba","tag-anthony-edwards","tag-jaden-mcdaniels","tag-joan-beringer","tag-julius-randle","tag-naz-reid","tag-rob-dillingham","tag-rudy-gobert","tag-terrence-shannon-jr"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5867"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198639"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198664,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198639\/revisions\/198664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}