The Minnesota Timberwolves recently confirmed that they have locked in Julius Randle on a three-year, $100 million deal. 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.
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.
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 if three conditions are met.
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.
Article Continues Below
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.
“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.
“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 Julius Randle in the near future.
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.
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.