The Minnesota Timberwolves had seemingly found their form, winning eight straight games through the month of March with the lineup finally healthy.
With a nine-man rotation, the Wolves are getting contributions from many names who hope to remain in Minnesota ahead of a pivotal offseason.
However, the Timberwolves have looked out of sorts, dropping back-to-back losses to an Indiana Pacers team missing four of its starters and a New Orleans Pelicans team that is among four teams with under 20 wins this season.
That's resurfaced thoughts of whether this interation of the Timberwolves can go far -- and what that might mean this offseason with several franchise-altering decisions on the horizon.
Bleacher Report's Dan Favale took inventory of the Wolves' roster and deemed Julius Randle among the team's top trade candidates. Acquired along with Donte DiVincenzo in the New York Knicks' trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, Randle has had a rollercoaster year in Minnesota.
A three-time All-Star in New York, Randle struggled to find his role with the Timberwolves and is averaging the fewest points per game (18.7) since 2017-18 and rebounds per game (7.0) in his career.
However, since the turn of the calendar year, Randle had seemingly turned a new leaf himself. Randle had won 13 games in a row that he played in before the Wolves' current two-game skid.
He found his role as a 6-foot-9, 250-pound facilitator who can drive and kick the ball out to shooters, averaging 6.0 assists during the Wolves' eight-game winning streak since he returned from a back injury.
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Since then, turnovers have plagued Randle in back-to-back losses. He turned the ball over 10 times -- six against the Packers and four against the Pelicans -- after averaging 3.0 turnovers previously.
Whether Randle can recapture his playmaking ways as the postseason pressure continues to mount remains to be seen.
Randle has a $31 million player-option ahead in the final year of his four-year, $117 million contract.
And while he was tantamount to the Wolves' recent run of success, the Timberwolves would like to extend Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well.
"Will his market crater to the point he would rather opt in and get traded again? Maybe. He could also opt out and intend to sign for a smaller average annual value worth more over the long term," Favale wrote. "That plan might even line up with the Minnesota Timberwolves' thinking."
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This story was originally published March 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM.