The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t off to such a great start as many anticipated they would.
At the beginning of December, the Timberwolves sit with a 12-8 record, which is good for sixth in the loaded Western Conference. While they would avoid the play-in as things stand, Minnesota is undoubtedly better than they’ve led on.
Nonetheless, these are the facts. One of the Timberwolves’ main problems is their poor defensive execution, which is hurting their ability to get stops on a consistent basis, and their lack of reliable point guards to run the offense throughout games, especially down the stretch.
Although they have the size and athleticism, they have a poor defense that currently ranks third-worst in the league, allowing 121.5 points per 100 possessions.
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It is clear that Minnesota needs to make a change to their roster to fix their problems. According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, a player they could move to do just that could be All-Star forward Julius Randle.
Siegel says that the Timberwolves could sell high on Randle.
“There is a growing sense that the Timberwolves will sell high on Julius Randle should the right star become available before February. However, the problem with Minnesota is that they don’t have any first-round picks they can trade outright, which would be problematic with pursuing Morant or another star guard.”
There is a good chance that the Timberwolves could deal Randle to find the right star player to complement the other pieces in Minnesota.
It’s not certain that the Timberwolves would pull the trigger on trading the former All-Star. The Kentucky product is certainly a key player on the team, with whom they have had a ton of success. Unless it is for a major upgrade or a player they desperately need, then a trade could take place.
If not, the Timberwolves are better off sticking with Randle and possibly using their other assets for a roster shakeup.
So far this season, Randle is averaging 23.0 points per game, 6.0 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 50.2 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three in 20 games and 33.5 minutes of action.
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