Wolves Notes: Randle, Beringer, DiVincenzo, Identity

The Timberwolves‘ decision last summer to trade Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo ended up being a rare win-win deal, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes in a recent mailbag article.

Randle not only turned in a very positive second half to the season and first-round series against the Lakers, but thanks to his smaller contract, he also allowed the team to prioritize building its depth in a way that it wouldn’t have with Towns’ salary, which came to $10MM more than Randle and DiVincenzo combined last season.

This flexibility was used to get under the second apron without having to part with one of their key players, such as Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, or recently-extended Naz Reid. Doing so with Towns in the fold would have been nearly impossible, and would have forced the Wolves into even harder choices than they already had to make when it came to retaining their players.

We have more from the Wolves:

• Another key pickup from the trade with the Knicks was the Pistons’ lottery-protected pick, which ended up conveying and becoming Joan Beringer, thanks to Detroit exceeding expectations. Krawczynski writes that while it’s likely that Beringer plays some minutes for the G League affiliate in Iowa early in the year, the team has made clear it expects him to spend much of this season with the main club as a depth piece behind Randle and Reid.
• While DiVincenzo’s debut season in Minnesota was inconsistent, Krawczynski notes that there were positive moments, especially during a small stretch when DiVincenzo was asked to play point guard for the team. He averaged 17.5 points and shot 42 percent from three in a six-game run where the Wolves went 4-2. Given Mike Conley‘s age, Krawczynski says it’s entirely possible DiVincenzo gets a crack at the fifth starter spot. The Wolves also have sophomore point guard Rob Dillingham waiting in the wings, but it’s unclear if the 20-year-old is ready to take that leap on a team with title aspirations.
• The Wolves have managed to walk the tightrope of being back-to-back Western Conference Finalists while also building a strong core for the future, led by Anthony Edwards and flanked by Reid, Jaden McDaniels, Beringer, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Dillingham, all of whom are 26 or younger. Given their flexible outlook and recent track record of success, Krawczynski has deemed this the Golden Age of Timberwolves basketball. While there are still decisions for new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore to figure out moving forward, they have a strong foundation to ensure the team is competitive for years to come.