After a frankly embarrassing performance in the playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves should be looking to move on from star Julius Randle this summer. Randle practically no-showed against the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.
In fact, he fell short of living up to his second-star billing and was thoroughly outplayed by teammate Mike Conley, who is 38 years old. Yikes. That will no doubt lead to discussions about potential trade this summer involving Randle.
Especially with the Timberwolves already having a perfect replacement at power forward in Naz Reid. That's where the Portland Trail Blazers may come into play.
They are still trying to get to the Timberwolves' level and to use a bit of the scoring punch that Randle could theoretically provide. That makes a possibility of a trade between the two teams intriguing.
The Timberwolves acquire Jrue Holiday from the Trail Blazers in a proposed trade.
The hypothetical trade would see the Timberwolves trade Randle and their 2026 first-round pick to the Trail Blazers in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
On the surface, it seems both teams would have a reason to do this deal. The Timberwolves would be getting a major upgrade at point guard in Holiday, who is also a terrific defender.
The Blazers would be getting a first-round pick as well as Randle. He is far from a perfect player, but he can still help certain teams who are in need of scoring and playmaking.
Would this trade make the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers better?
It's worth pointing out that the Trail Blazers have a potential log jam at point guard with Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and the returning Damian Lillard.
Selling high on Holiday, who was 35 years old and will be returning for his 18th season, seems like a no-brainer for the Blazers. However, would both teams agree to the deal?
I have a feeling that the Timberwolves would jump at the chance to trade Randle for Holiday. Not only would it help them at a position of weakness, but it would help shore up their defense that slipped this season.
If they can re-sign Ayo Dosunmu and Donte DiVincenzo returns around January next season, their guard rotation would certainly look far better than it does now.
Would the Wolves and Portland Trail Blazers agree to the deal?
As for the Wolves' depth at power forward and center. They would have Reid and Rudy Gobert plus promising center Joan Berenger, who could potentially step in and play 20 minutes per game next season.
Meanwhile, the Blazers could see Randle as a potential stepping stone. Portland had an above-average defense this season but struggled putting the ball in the basket.
Having a player in Randle who can exploit mismatches and score could help them in the short term. They would also still be able to develop their young players in the hopes of building a contender in the long term.
As a result, I believe both the Timberwolves and Blazers would agree to the proposed trade.
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