Nets acquire – Julius Randle is headed from Minnesota to the Brooklyn Nets after two seasons, in a trade that sends Minnesota the rights to the 33rd overall pick in this week’s draft.
Julius Randle’s two-season run in Minnesota is over. and the veteran forward is headed back to the Big Apple—this time to the Brooklyn Nets. The move comes as Brooklyn weighs how to build its next team. and it also lands Randle in a spot where fantasy managers will immediately start asking the same question: will this be a ceiling-raising opportunity. or a minutes squeeze later in the season?.
Randle’s Minnesota season still offers plenty of reason for optimism. In the 2025-26 regular season, he played 79 games and averaged 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 three-pointers. His shooting line was 48.1 percent from the field and 80.2 percent at the foul line.
There was also a reminder that the postseason can look different than the regular season. During the Timberwolves’ second-round series against San Antonio, Randle struggled. That contrast—productive league numbers. uneven playoff moments—follows him into Brooklyn. where the Nets’ rebuild context makes every roster decision feel like it could shift quickly.
The trade’s return matters too. As part of the deal, Minnesota will receive the rights to the 33rd overall pick in this week’s draft.
For fantasy purposes, the ripple effects in Minnesota could be just as important as Randle’s departure. With Randle exiting, Naz Reid is expected to start consistently, a change that raises Reid’s fantasy ceiling.
In Brooklyn, the fit has its own questions. Staying in New York could raise Randle’s ceiling—something that was previously seen with Michael Porter Jr. Still. fantasy managers will have to weigh a different risk that comes with roster turnover: the possibility that Randle’s minutes decrease late in the season.
Julius Randle Brooklyn Nets Minnesota Timberwolves 33rd overall pick 2025-26 season Naz Reid fantasy basketball