The Timberwolves’ regular season schedule tips off on Tuesday, Oct. 22, but before it does, Connelly has one last trade up his sleeves.

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Minnesota Timberwolves trying to trade Keita Bates-Diop

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade for Julius Randle was quite complicated due to Karl-Anthony Towns’ massive $49.2 million salary. This meant the Wolves couldn’t simply swap Towns for Randle plus DiVincenzo; they also had to take back more salary, which led to the inclusion of Keita Bates-Diop in the trade.

In a perfect world, this wouldn’t be a problem. KBD is a serviceable player who can help add experienced depth and size to a championship-caliber team. Yet, while he’s been on the team since the trade was completed on Oct. 2, the Wolves don’t have enough roster spots to keep him. Well, they could, but Connelly prefers to keep another one of his former players instead.

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Now, according to Yahoo’s Jake Fischer, the Timberwolves are “working to find a trade partner” for Bates-Diop.

PJ Dozier was added to the roster on July 15th, well before KBD was, so it seems he’s long been in the Timberwolves’ plans. Yet, once Bates-Dip was added, determining who would snag the team’s final roster spot became a bit murky.

Now, we know who the last man standing is expected to be, yet will Connelly be able to get back any draft compensation for Bates-Diop? Don’t expect anything more than a second-round pick or a pick swap.

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Minnesota Timberwolves officially announce Karl-Anthony Towns trade to Knicks

But on Wednesday, the trade went official and it included more talent coming back for the Wolves than what was originally reported last week. Not only is Minnesota getting back the pieces above, earlier in the day, we found out that former Wolf Keita Bates-Diop is also part of the return package coming back for KAT.

The apron restrictions in the 2023 CBA have forced teams to be creative.

Both New York and Minnesota were not allowed to take back more salary because they were over the first apron.

Here is how the trade was structured.

The Randle number is higher because of the trade bonus. https://t.co/EAyYAH46RI pic.twitter.com/dn1q7DmzGV

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) October 2, 2024

This was a very difficult trade for both teams to make work. The Knicks are flirting with luxury tax problems of their own, especially taking on all $220 million remaining on Towns’ contract. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a borderline 2nd apron team, which comes with even more penalties.

But in the end, where there is a will, there is a way. And neither team was going to let this deal fall through. Now, it’s done. The Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to hold a press conference introducing their new players, sometime this week, now that the trade is official.

What are the Timberwolves getting in Julius Randle?

The 29-year-old Randle has just one year remaining on his deal. Next year is a player option ($31M) that he is unlikely to take, if he has a good season. There are also rumors that the Wolves could look to move Randle. before the the season begins. So keep an eye out for that.

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In his 10-year NBA career, the former Kentucky Wildcat has appeared in 641 games with three different teams (Lakers, Pelicans, Knicks). Randle is averaging 19.1 points (47.0%), 9.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 32.0 minutes per game. In 2023-24 with the Knicks, he had possibly his best NBA season. Randle averaged 24.0 points (47.2%), 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists (35.4 MPG).

The trade is officially official

Welcome to Minnesota goat @J30_RANDLE pic.twitter.com/ifSPnRZUH8

— Ev (@EvInFour) October 2, 2024

According to the Minnesota Timberwolves official press release, Randle joined Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Dončić and Nikola Jokić as the only players to average 24.0+ points, 9.0+ rebounds and 5.0+ assists per game last season.

What are the Wolves getting with Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop?

The 27-year-old Donte DiVincenzo has appeared in 354 games over a six year NBA career. He’s played for four different teams (Bucks, Kings, Warriors, Knicks). But Donte is coming into his own recently, and he too had a career year in New York last season.

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DiVincenzo is averaging 10.6 points (42.8%), 4.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals (25.4 MPG). The long 6-4 guard averaged a career-best 15.5 points (44.3%) in 2023-24. He shot 40.1% from the 3-point line and played 29.1 minutes per game (both career highs). Oh, and he’s a dog on defense.

Donte DiVincenzo in the 2nd Half

21 PTS | 8-for-10 FG including these 5 crucial three point makes: pic.twitter.com/SRLH53rFWL

— DJ (@DJAceNBA) May 7, 2024

Unlike the other two pieces of this trade, the 28-year-old Keita Bates-Diop is coming off one of the most unproductive seasons of his 5-year NBA career. It got especially bad after being traded to Brooklyn, mid-season. He averaged 12.5 minutes per night, but his average of 3.7 points per game was his lowest since 2020-21.

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