Minnesota Sports Forum

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:00 pm I was a bit surprised myself. So basically we now have traded KAT for nothing.

Those type of things get people fired in other local sports franchises based in Eagan.

DDV, Joan Beringer, the ability to sign someone we want and not get above the second apron are not nothings.

Carlos Danger wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:39 pm

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:00 pm I was a bit surprised myself. So basically we now have traded KAT for nothing.

Those type of things get people fired in other local sports franchises based in Eagan.

Exactly. Screw the salary cap relief bullshit explanation. If that's what they wanted, why not just let his contract expire last year or trade him as an expiring contract last year.

Again - I'm ok with the trade and understand all the little details (allowed us to sign Ayo and cost savings of dropping back from 1st to a 2nd). Everyone gets that. But I'm just scratching my head at what was done leading up to this point. They clearly overvalued him within the context of the KAT trade and then giving him an extension. And now I'm pissed off because NY got a ring and our return is to feel good about a move back into the second round of this year's draft for salary relief. Glad I'm not the only one who feels that way! Alright, my rant is done.

I feel like myself and others are explaining this to kindergartners and the tykes are responding with “no yeah I get it but I still think I’m right anyways”.

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:47 pm This move goes down as another case study in franchise General Management 101 that the team that receives the best player in a player for player trade wins.

I do think if we didn't make the WCF last year TC would have been fired for the KAT trade.

My concern now is we don't stop the bleeding at do another bad trade trying to recover.

The Julius Randle salary dump was what they did to stop the bleeding. It allows us to avoid the most restrictive apron penalties and still add to the roster ima calculated way vs in a need induced panic.

Carlos Danger wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 12:20 pm I'm ok with trading Randle and moving on from his salary. But maybe I'm in the minority in feeling surprised we didn't get ANYTHING out of trading him? How did he go from being a major piece of the KAT trade to having zero value?

Depending on which stats you value most, one could argue that Randle was the second best player on our team last season. He was a close second to Edwards in total points scored and #2 on the team in VORP. And if you filter out the guys who only played small amount of minutes, Randle would rank second or third with regards to PER and WS/48.

Now, like everyone else, I'm fully aware of his warts and not saying he's bringing back a "haul". But doesn't it seem off he wouldn't be worth something like at least another future 2nd round pick? IDK. Obviously TC would have taken the best deal he could. And I get the dropping back out of the first round to save money part. I just kept waiting to hear there was more coming our way and was a little disappointed when I realized this was it. Oh well. It's done. Next.

I think it's fair to feel a bit hoodwinked at this point.

"He's our most important player." (C.Finch)

And heck, he had a point. Randle averaged 22/7/5 on 60% TS for 2/3 of last season. So, to go from that level of production (and guaranteed role protection) to being dumped as a NEGATIVE asset is pretty crazy.

Just how big of a mess did Randle make in that locker room? When will he hear nuggets beyond a general "moodiniess" stray?

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:19 pm

Carlos Danger wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 12:20 pm I'm ok with trading Randle and moving on from his salary. But maybe I'm in the minority in feeling surprised we didn't get ANYTHING out of trading him? How did he go from being a major piece of the KAT trade to having zero value?

Depending on which stats you value most, one could argue that Randle was the second best player on our team last season. He was a close second to Edwards in total points scored and #2 on the team in VORP. And if you filter out the guys who only played small amount of minutes, Randle would rank second or third with regards to PER and WS/48.

Now, like everyone else, I'm fully aware of his warts and not saying he's bringing back a "haul". But doesn't it seem off he wouldn't be worth something like at least another future 2nd round pick? IDK. Obviously TC would have taken the best deal he could. And I get the dropping back out of the first round to save money part. I just kept waiting to hear there was more coming our way and was a little disappointed when I realized this was it. Oh well. It's done. Next.

I think it's fair to feel a bit hoodwinked at this point.

"He's our most important player." (C.Finch)

And heck, he had a point. Randle averaged 22/7/5 on 60% TS for 2/3 of last season. So, to go from that level of production (and guaranteed role protection) to being dumped as a NEGATIVE asset is pretty crazy.

Just how big of a mess did Randle make in that locker room? When will he hear nuggets beyond a general "moodiniess" stray?

Taking a team and roster from the doorstep of the Finals to being a lotto squad a couple years later is a complete disaster.

I think fans want a more entertaining product, but it will also be a loser too.

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:19 pm

Carlos Danger wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 12:20 pm I'm ok with trading Randle and moving on from his salary. But maybe I'm in the minority in feeling surprised we didn't get ANYTHING out of trading him? How did he go from being a major piece of the KAT trade to having zero value?

Depending on which stats you value most, one could argue that Randle was the second best player on our team last season. He was a close second to Edwards in total points scored and #2 on the team in VORP. And if you filter out the guys who only played small amount of minutes, Randle would rank second or third with regards to PER and WS/48.

Now, like everyone else, I'm fully aware of his warts and not saying he's bringing back a "haul". But doesn't it seem off he wouldn't be worth something like at least another future 2nd round pick? IDK. Obviously TC would have taken the best deal he could. And I get the dropping back out of the first round to save money part. I just kept waiting to hear there was more coming our way and was a little disappointed when I realized this was it. Oh well. It's done. Next.

I think it's fair to feel a bit hoodwinked at this point.

"He's our most important player." (C.Finch)

And heck, he had a point. Randle averaged 22/7/5 on 60% TS for 2/3 of last season. So, to go from that level of production (and guaranteed role protection) to being dumped as a NEGATIVE asset is pretty crazy.

Just how big of a mess did Randle make in that locker room? When will he hear nuggets beyond a general "moodiniess" stray?

Well at one point it got so bad that Rudy talked to the media about it and Finch has to respond to that by saying that they like to keep things In house.

It seems like the best laid plans of mice and men went to shit when Julius didn’t get all star votes and was mentioned in trade talks. Both of those things mess with a guys wallet too. All star teams trip contract incentives or make negotiating easier for the allstar. If Julius finishes the season like he started it but has a let down against the spurs and we then moved him for “nothing” then there would be a tougher time defending the move….but the whole league saw what happened, Julius was gone before game 6 ended. The team probably packed his locker for him. We had ZERO leverage in any trade talks yet still managed to convince one GM to take a shot on two more years of Julius. That’s a fucking win in my book.

I totally get people are mad we resigned him but it was cheaper than letting him opt into a crippling player option and maybe losing BOTH of Naz and Naw.

I understand being mad about the Kat trade but it was made for more reasons than just acquiring Julius. I’d say Julius the player was the least important part.

The team and the coach and I’m sure many players had to bite their tongues about Julius and they will continue to out of professionalism but the reality fought and showed itself in the seems many times, Julius was destroying the spirit of a young and promising core.

The trade was actually lopsided against Brooklyn in my opinion because they are now stuck with him. And the delayed result of getting off KATs Supermax has now arrived. We have the core, we have the maneuverability but it cost use dearly in draft picks to do it.

The draft picks it cost is however if all goes to plan will be in the late round.

What we lost is the safety net

It has to work this time.

We have 4-6 seasons of Ants prime to win it.

If it takes three or four more without a trip to the finals then Ant trade rumors become a part of our everyday news cycle. As of now they tend to pop up up around the draft but are made up clickbait.

Wolvesfan21 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:44 pm

AbeVigodaLive wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:19 pm

Carlos Danger wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 12:20 pm I'm ok with trading Randle and moving on from his salary. But maybe I'm in the minority in feeling surprised we didn't get ANYTHING out of trading him? How did he go from being a major piece of the KAT trade to having zero value?

Depending on which stats you value most, one could argue that Randle was the second best player on our team last season. He was a close second to Edwards in total points scored and #2 on the team in VORP. And if you filter out the guys who only played small amount of minutes, Randle would rank second or third with regards to PER and WS/48.

Now, like everyone else, I'm fully aware of his warts and not saying he's bringing back a "haul". But doesn't it seem off he wouldn't be worth something like at least another future 2nd round pick? IDK. Obviously TC would have taken the best deal he could. And I get the dropping back out of the first round to save money part. I just kept waiting to hear there was more coming our way and was a little disappointed when I realized this was it. Oh well. It's done. Next.

I think it's fair to feel a bit hoodwinked at this point.

"He's our most important player." (C.Finch)

And heck, he had a point. Randle averaged 22/7/5 on 60% TS for 2/3 of last season. So, to go from that level of production (and guaranteed role protection) to being dumped as a NEGATIVE asset is pretty crazy.

Just how big of a mess did Randle make in that locker room? When will he hear nuggets beyond a general "moodiniess" stray?

Taking a team and roster from the doorstep of the Finals to being a lotto squad a couple years later is a complete disaster.

I think fans want a more entertaining product, but it will also be a loser too.

We aren’t a lotto squad. You’re a paper tiger merchant!

Edit: it’s more of a straw man, but straw merchant doesn’t make sense…

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:16 pm

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:47 pm This move goes down as another case study in franchise General Management 101 that the team that receives the best player in a player for player trade wins.

I do think if we didn't make the WCF last year TC would have been fired for the KAT trade.

My concern now is we don't stop the bleeding at do another bad trade trying to recover.

The Julius Randle salary dump was what they did to stop the bleeding. It allows us to avoid the most restrictive apron penalties and still add to the roster ima calculated way vs in a need induced panic.

What did we add? How are we better? We couldn't even keep Nickeil Alexander-Walker? It was not a 3D-chess move. It was checkers.

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:23 pm

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:16 pm

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 1:47 pm This move goes down as another case study in franchise General Management 101 that the team that receives the best player in a player for player trade wins.

I do think if we didn't make the WCF last year TC would have been fired for the KAT trade.

My concern now is we don't stop the bleeding at do another bad trade trying to recover.

The Julius Randle salary dump was what they did to stop the bleeding. It allows us to avoid the most restrictive apron penalties and still add to the roster ima calculated way vs in a need induced panic.

What did we add? How are we better? We couldn't even keep Nickeil Alexander-Walker? It was not a 3D-chess move. It was checkers.

We added flexibility. You don’t seem to understand the new reality of the CBA and how it affects roster building.

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:27 pm

bleedspeed wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 3:23 pm

BeenLurkin wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2026 2:16 pm
The Julius Randle salary dump was what they did to stop the bleeding. It allows us to avoid the most restrictive apron penalties and still add to the roster ima calculated way vs in a need induced panic.

What did we add? How are we better? We couldn't even keep Nickeil Alexander-Walker? It was not a 3D-chess move. It was checkers.

We added flexibility. You don’t seem to understand the new reality of the CBA and how it affects roster building.

To be fair (hat-tip to Abe), had Julius Randle actually played well for us in the OKC series last season or the Spurs series this season perhaps we would have made it to the Finals or at least made those series more competitive. But he was a disaster and tied a bow on it by sulking his way out the door. That's on Connelly and Finch for putting so much confidence in him last summer after some of the red flags we saw against OKC. We could have done last summer what we are doing now, thus delaying by a year the expanded roles for Jaden and Naz. I can't blame folks for being upset about that.

What I don't understand is folks thinking that because KAT won a title with the Knicks that somehow he and Ant would have won a title together if we had just kept him. I'll let someone smarter than me like Kekgeek explain all the reasons why keeping KAT was problematic for the Wolves, but it's not like he turned into a different player with the Knicks. He had a lot of the same issues as with the Wolves and ultimately became their 3rd option as they got deeper into the playoffs.