Inside The Rockets

NBA Trade Idea Sends Timberwolves' Julius Randle to Rockets

The Houston Rockets could acquire Minnesota Timberwolves star Julius Randle in a trade.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward-center Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (43) in the second period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images
Dec 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward-center Julius Randle (30) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (43) in the second period at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images / David Gonzales-Imagn Images
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The Houston Rockets are considered to be a buyer on the trade market, which means many stars that could be traded have been linked to them in rumors.

The latest player to fit the criteria is Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who has one year left on his contract after being traded by the New York Knicks in September.

Bleacher Report writer Greg Swartz suggests a deal that would send Randle to the Rockets for Jabari Smith Jr., Steven Adams, Jeff Green and a 2026 second-round pick.

"Randle, a Texas native, would be an upgrade over Smith in the starting lineup and help balance out the team's young talent (Jalen Green, Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, etc) with its veteran starters (Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks)," Swartz writes. "A starting five of VanVleet, Green, Brooks, Randle and Şengün would feature a ton of scoring and playmaking and still have a bench of Thompson, Tari Eason, Reed Sheppard, Jock Landale and others."

Trading any one of Houston's young players would be silly to do at this point. The Rockets are 17-8 and in second place in the Western Conference with them while the Wolves have clearly regressed with Randle, so why would Houston want to make this deal?

The Rockets are better off seeing how far this young core can get them in the playoffs before trying to replace some youth with experience.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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