The Timberwolves are wheeling and dealing. First week of offseason trades wrapped up.
In an incredibly eventful start to the NBA off-season, we have seen numerous trades. Let's take a closer look at the main moves over the first week of the off-season.
June 21st - Thunder Shed salary
With just a week past the NBA Finals concluding, the first trade of the NBA off-season comes in from the former NBA champions, who look to shed some salary. Given that Chet and Jalen Williams' contract extensions will kick in at the start of the 2026-27 season, the Thunder will need to find some contracts to ship out in order to avoid staying in the second apron. The Thunder did a good job during the draft picking up two players on rookie scale deals who can contribute instantly, in Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara. The Thunder shed just under $9 million next season by giving up Wiggins' contract.
Full Trade Details:
Hawks Receive: Aaron Wiggins
Thunder Receive: 2030 second-round pick, 2032 second-round pick
The Hawks get a wing who can come in and provide depth to the already deep Hawks team. His ability to stretch the floor made him extremely valuable during the Thunder's 2025 championship run. Adding Wiggins to this team will help the Hawks add an experienced winner who still has youthful exuberance and can contribute to a fast-paced Hawks roster.
June 22nd - Randle trade
Not even a day later, the Timberwolves, Bulls and Nets made a trade. While this was eventually quickly overshadowed by the Giannis trade later that day, there were some real interesting elements to this trade.
Full Trade Details:
Nets Receive: Julius Randle, 2026 28th overall pick (Joshua Jefferson)
Bulls Receive: Nic Claxton
Timberwolves Receive: Mo Gueye, 2026 33rd overall pick (Isaiah Evans)
The Nets are in an interesting spot where they have an abundance of young talent but a lack of veteran experience. The Nets only have two years left on the Randle deal while they moved up five spots in the NBA draft. In a new era where you can no longer expect a top draft pick if you finish last, due to the new NBA lottery rules, adding Randle will help them win a couple of extra games. Randle has had plenty of experience playing on bad teams, both with the Knicks and Lakers.
The Nic Claxton era at the Nets had to come to an end. With an incredible season only a few years ago, the last couple of years have proven to be very lacklustre. Whilst this is not a long-term fix to the Bulls' centre problem, Nic Claxton will be a player to benefit playing for new head coach Spliter and alongside new draftee Caleb Wilson. This is proving to be a pretty good defensive roster for a defensive-minded head coach.
This was desperation time for the Timberwolves. With Anthony Edwards carrying the load the last couple of years, reports have been flying out left, right and centre about how these next couple of years would be pivotal in retaining Edwards. Making this trade allowed the Timberwolves to free up cap space to re-sign Ayo Dosunmu and trade for LaMelo Ball. Even though the Timberwolves lost a couple of draft positions, they ended up with an incredibly talented guard in Isaiah Evans.
June 25th - Lamelo Ball to Timberwolves
An interesting trade I still haven't quite come to terms with — reports had been coming out over the previous couple of days that the Hornets were entertaining trade talks for LaMelo Ball.
Full Trade Details:
Timberwolves Receive: LaMelo Ball, Josh Green
Hornets Receive: Naz Reid, 2033 first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, three second-round picks
The Timberwolves attempt to make their star acquisition by bolstering the backcourt, adding LaMelo as the second All-Star in that backcourt. After re-signing Dosunmu and trading for Ball, the Timberwolves have an extremely talented and also expensive backcourt, not forgetting playoff riser Donte DiVincenzo, who will likely be out the whole 2026-27 season. The goal for this move is likely to shift Edwards into more of an off-ball role to work alongside Ball, allowing the Timberwolves to get the most out of Edwards when they need him. Combining this with a frontcourt of Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves are going to be a highlight reel team that can compete with the best teams in the league.
Now, for the Hornets, this is interesting to say the least. After finally finding some form late in the season, the Hornets made a push in the play-in tournament, ultimately losing to the Magic. However, the Hornets heavily relied on the creation of LaMelo Ball to get the best looks for their stars in Knuepple and Miller and getting the most out of Bridges and White. It seems strange to trade a vital part of a rising team. The Hornets must have ultimate faith in Coby White to be the predominant ball handler. Regardless of Coby White's incredible start to his tenure at the Hornets, he is nowhere near the playmaker that Ball is.
You can make a case for trading LaMelo given his injury history and lack of defensive effort, however trading for Naz Reid, who has a contract running through to 2030 where he will make just shy of $30 million, is a concern. In a time where good contracts are ever so important and bad contracts can hinder teams' futures, this trade has been interesting from the Hornets' perspective. We have seen the Timberwolves trade away Randle as a negative asset for the pure fact of his contract. By no means is he a bad player, and nor is Naz Reid — in fact, Reid has been pivotal both on and off the court the last few years for the Timberwolves. However, in today's NBA, Naz Reid's contract can and will hamstring this Hornets team.
June 26th - Thunder Shed More salary
The second of this nature this Off-season for the OKC, the Tunder are able to clear some more cap space as they attempt to avoid the second apron.
Full Trade Details:
Pistons Receive: Isaiah Joe
Thunder Receive: Two second-round picks
The Thunder get off the Joe contract of around $11 million for next season. In doing so, the Thunder are getting closer to avoiding the second apron and the ramifications that come with it. Whilst the second apron is feared around the league, it is acceptable to dip into it, just not to sustain this over multiple seasons.
For the Pistons, they are getting a much-needed three-point specialist with championship experience. The Pistons will still need to add a second star around Cade Cunningham, but this is a much-needed addition that will prove valuable, especially during the playoffs. Joe shot 42% from three last season.
-JB