Details on why Julius Randle may have underperformed in the playoffs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves saw their season come to an end at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs, losing in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the playoffs.
Three of the four losses were not competitive as the Spurs won by 28+ points in all three games. The Timberwolves managed to steal game one of the series and take game four after Victor Wembanyama was ejected for landing an elbow to the throat of Naz Reid.
After making back-to-back Western Conference Finals, Minnesota took a step back this season, running into a well-oiled Spurs team, but a victory over the Denver Nuggets in the first round showed they are still one of the top teams in a loaded West.
What Went Wrong?
Many players on the Timberwolves underperformed in the second round against the Spurs, but Julius Randle caught the most heat of anyone.
Randle is viewed as the second best player on the team behind Anthony Edwards, with his bully ball mentality seemingly being perfect for the playoffs when the game slows down and shots are tougher to come by.
After a good performance in game one where he scored 21 points, Randle was rendered ineffective by the Spurs.
The next five games, Randle averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.6 turnovers while shooting 32% from the field and 13% from three.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, teammates and coaches believed that Randle's poor performance had to do with his name being mentioned in trade rumors.
Randle Trade Rumors
Leading into the NBA trade deadline, the Timberwolves were reportedly linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo, looking to pair the Greek superstar with their own superstar in Anthony Edwards.
Any acquisition of Antetokounmpo would have required the Timberwolves to ship out Randle just to make the money work.
Ultimately, the move was never made as the Bucks held on to Giannis, either to keep him long-term or seek a better offer in the offseason. By the time the Timberwolves got to the second round, it was clear that the Bucks were even more serious about moving Giannis in the offseason, and the Timberwolves once again became a destination of topic.
Randle still has another year left on his contract and is set to make $33 million this upcoming season. He has a player option worth $35 million the following season before he could potentially hit free agency. He is eligible for a contract extension this offseason as well.