New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Julius Randle to Hawks, Bulls Get Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves Retool

After being eliminated by the OKC Thunder in a blowout Game 5 loss, the Minnesota Timberwolves have become one of the most interesting teams of the offseason. They are reportedly trying to make a big trade for Kevin Durant, but it seems that the Suns star has rebuffed them and doesn’t have any desire to be in Minnesota long-term per ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Timberwolves have to make a decision on the future of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is due for an extension, while also negotiating an extension for center Naz Reid and planning for an impending Julius Randle decision on his $30 million player option for next season. It is extremely likely that Minnesota will lose one of the three this summer – the question is how the Wolves plan to fill that loss.

If Randle is not interested in staying with the Timberwolves, but cannot get the long-term offer he wants on the open market, then he can pick up his player option and work with the team to find a trade destination. He had a solid showing for Minnesota throughout their run and there should be interest in the former All-NBA forward. Furthermore, the Timberwolves are right below the first apron line of the salary cap and only have around $13 million dollars to work with before they are in the dreaded second apron. Therefore, it would make sense to explore moving on from Randle.

Would the Atlanta Hawks make sense as a destination for Randle? They’ve had their season sunk by losing Jalen Johnson to injury for two straight seasons. Randle would give Atlanta another source of offense, provide insurance in case of a third straight season-ending injury for Johnson and take more defensive attention off of Trae Young while giving the Hawks another strong defender. If the cost of the move isn’t too high, it would be an interesting direction for Atlanta to explore. They have the salary flexibility to do it – they have $40.9 million in space below the luxury tax line as a result of the moves they made at the trade deadline in February. Regardless of Johnson’s injury, frontcourt depth is also a massive need for Atlanta.

If the Timberwolves are sending out Randle, would they also consider making another big move and moving on from Rudy Gobert? Gobert’s floor as a defensive anchor is admittedly difficult to replace. His presence alone is usually enough to give a team a middle-of-the-pack defense due to his skill as a rim protector. However, he’s severely limited on offense and signed through the next three seasons. If the Timberwolves were to get draft capital from moving on, it would be hard for them to not consider it in a bid to gain more salary flexibility and build a deeper team.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade between them look like? Here is one possible framework for a deal.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Julius Randle (S&T, 3YR, $75M)

Chicago Bulls Receive: Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Terance Mann, Coby White, Lonzo Ball, Jalen Smith, 2025 1st round pick (via LAL, from ATL, #22), 2026 1st round pick (via POR, protected 1-14)

Why the Hawks would do this deal:

After building a reputation as a bad playoff performer, Randle averaged a solid 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists on 62.2 TS%. He had good games against the Thunder in Games 1 and 3 while also excelling in his matchups against LeBron James and Draymond Green in the first two rounds of the playoffs. As the second scoring option in Minnesota this year, he averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 59.3 TS%, He isn’t a true floor spacer (34.4% on 4.6 attempts per game), but he’s enough of a shooter to man the 4 and give Jalen Johnson the chance to overpower defenders at the 3. Although Onyeka Okongwu is slightly undersized for a starting center, that would be less of a problem considering how massive a frontcourt of Randle and Johnson is. Zaccharie Risacher showed enough in his rookie season to be relied upon as the sixth man, and the Hawks would have a starting five that features Trae Young surrounded by strong defenders who all have viability on offense. His contract wouldn’t be cost-prohibitive, considering that the Hawks don’t have a ton of upcoming free agents to pay, they move off the Mann deal in this trade, and it reduces their reliance on bringing Caris LeVert back this summer if he decides to go elsewhere. Giving up a late first-round draft pick in a draft class that is weak from #20 onwards is also a worthwhile gamble considering what Randle could provide.

Why the Hawks would not do this deal:

Randle’s postseason inconsistencies can’t be ignored. Even though this year was his best showing in the playoffs, he still had bad games in the Thunder series and was completely absent in their narrow Game 4 loss. It’s unclear exactly what type of player Julius Randle is in the playoffs, and that’s definitely worrying for a Hawks team that needs to rely on him as a capable third option if they do make the playoffs. Furthermore, his new contract still comes with a $25 million dollar cap hit in 2025-26, and it could complicate their negotiations with Dyson Daniels.

Why the Bulls would do this deal:

The Bulls have been firmly stuck in the middle of the NBA, and this deal wouldn’t uplift them out of that. However, this does prepare them for life after Nikola Vucevic’s contract expires this summer and gives them a solid floor to evaluate promising young forward Matas Buzelis. Vucevic’s defensive decline has been a major problem for Chicago, and Gobert would, at the bare minimum, stabilize them on that end. He can be a pick-and-roll partner for Josh Giddey, assuming he signs a new contract with the Bulls this summer, and they might even be able to challenge for a layoff spot in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Giving up a Portland first-round pick that has a small chance of conveying to Minnesota without sacrificing any of their own picks is a price worth taking on for two experienced veterans who could change the culture in Chicago. Conley’s a reliable ball-handler who can replace White and run the offense. He still remains a great shooter from deep, hitting 41% of his threes on 4.4 attempts per game. His contract also expires at the end of the season.

Why the Bulls would not do this deal:

Outside of the fact that his contract stretches for another three seasons and he doesn’t entirely fit Chicago’s timeline, it needs to be considered whether Gobert can still deliver elite defensive impact. Last season, his BLK% was 2.3% (73rd percentile), his fgOR% was 11.3% (78th percentile) and his fgDR% was 20.1% (68th percentile). While solid, all of those numbers were either at or above the 90th percentile last season. There’s no value to doing this deal if Gobert can’t remain a high-level defender throughout the life of his contract, and there’s a chance that he won’t be able to deliver on that. Conley is also unable to provide any value on defense, which would be an issue considering the Bulls already don’t have a very strong defense.

Why the Timberwolves would do this deal:

This instantly drops the Timberwolves from operating under the 1st apron to being $27.4 million under the luxury tax line. That’s more than enough to re-sign key reserves like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who has been one of Minnesota’s most reliable rotation players for the past two seasons. They are also swapping out Conley for two younger point guards in Coby White and Lonzo Ball who can play with Edwards and serve as facilitators. White is coming off of a season in which he averaged a career-high 20.4 PPG on 45/37/90 shooting splits, and Conley already wasn’t a strong defender, so the Timberwolves aren’t losing anything on defense. The best version of Lonzo Ball is a player who would help Minnesota’s perimeter defense and improve their depth. He’s 6’6 and consistently shot well from deep for the last four seasons of his career, which means he can survive in a variety of different lineups. When he returned from injury last season, he posted a 96th percentile assist: usage ratio of 1:12 and an 86th percentile AST% of 18.6%. On defense, he posted an elite STL% of 2.5%, good for a 96th percentile ranking last season. Mann is another solid defender who can be a better shooter when surrounded by good spacing. He’s under contract for the next three years, so the Timberwolves won’t have to consider any sort of extensions, and they could use his contract as salary filler in a later transaction. Smith was a reserve for the Bulls last year, but he’s a decent shooter for a big man. He shot 42.4% on 2.4 attempts per game for the Pacers in 2023-24 and has a career FT% of 75.4%. On defense, he’s not Gobert, but he posted a BLK% of 2.0% (65th percentile among all centers) and a DREB% of 24.3% (87th percentile). If Minnesota were to pair him with a young big man like Thomas Sorber from Georgetown in the 2025 NBA Draft, they could rotate them out and even re-sign Naz Reid to further add to their depth. Adding two first-round picks, both of which are in the immediate future, could also be critical towards Minnesota retooling its roster to build a consistent championship-caliber team around Anthony Edwards.

Why the Timberwolves wouldn’t do this deal:

They are inheriting a bad contract in Mann’s deal and they would need to re-sign Coby White on a new deal if he plays well this upcoming season. Both have impacts on their future flexibility. Ball also has significant injury concerns and Minnesota would be in trouble if he can’t handle a significant role. Furthermore, it’s possible that this is just too much roster shakeup to inflict on a team that just made the Western Conference Finals.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

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New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Nikola Vucevic and Others To Milwaukee, Hawks Add Backup Center

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