Timberwolves’ plan after moving on from Julius Randle revealed

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle. Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Timberwolves’ plan after moving on from Julius Randle revealed

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Jun 23, 2026 8:50 AM ET

The Minnesota Timberwolves are looking in-house to replace Julius Randle’s production at the power forward spot.

The T-Wolves reportedly agreed to trade Randle on Monday in a surprising move that did not include any potential replacement headed back to Minnesota. Instead, Timberwolves president Tim Connelly let Randle go in an outright salary dump that even forced Minnesota to move down in Tuesday’s draft to make it come to fruition.

According to Timberwolves reporter Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Naz Reid is going to replace Randle in the starting lineup. He will join Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels as the power forward of Minnesota’s revamped frontcourt. Krawczynski called it a “big statement of belief” in Reid and McDaniels making another leap without Randle ahead of them in the pecking order.

Naz Reid is going to be the starting power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves for the first time in his career. This move is a big statement of belief in Reid and Jaden McDaniels to take the next steps in their development.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) June 23, 2026

The 26-year-old Reid has served as the Timberwolves’ super sixth man in each of the last three seasons. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 2023-24 with averages of 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 41.4 percent from distance.

While his outside shooting has dipped a bit in recent years, Reid has largely maintained his steady production off Minnesota’s bench. He now gets his first real chance at a starring role for the T-Wolves.

Reid actually outplayed Randle during the Timberwolves’ Western Conference semifinals clash against the San Antonio Spurs. Reid, at times, looked like Minnesota’s second-best player behind Anthony Edwards — the role Randle failed to fill in the series.

In six games against the Spurs, Reid tallied 14.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists off the bench. He was Minnesota’s lone rotation player to shoot above 50 percent in the series.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: