Julius Randle

Injury Updates: Randle, Embiid, Sexton, Barrett

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who has missed the past two games after injuring his groin last Thursday vs. the Jazz, underwent an MRI and has been diagnosed with a right adductor strain, the team announced today in a press release. He’ll be reevaluated in two weeks, according to the Wolves.

A multi-week absence had been anticipated for Randle after head coach Chris Finch told reporters over the weekend that he expected to be without the forward “for the near future.”

Randle, who was sent from New York to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster right before training camp, has had a solid first season in Minnesota, averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 32.6 minutes per game across 48 contests, with a .470/.321/.811 shooting line.

There has been some speculation that Randle, who holds a $30.9MM player option for 2025/26, could emerge as a trade candidate prior to the February 6 deadline, but it has always seemed more likely that Minnesota would postpone a decision on his future until the summer rather than shaking up the roster again during the season.

During Randle’s absence, Naz Reid has stepped into the lineup as the Wolves’ starting power forward. The team has dropped both games Reid started, but he had a big night on Monday, putting up 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in a two-point loss to Sacramento.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • After making his return from a month-long injury absence on Tuesday, Sixers center Joel Embiid will, predictably, be held out of the second end of the club’s back-to-back set on Wednesday vs. Miami, per head coach Nick Nurse (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN). Embiid had a strong first game back in a two-point win over Dallas, racking up 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
  • The Jazz announced on Tuesday (via Twitter) that Collin Sexton has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. While X-rays on the injury were negative, the veteran guard will miss some time — he’ll be reevaluated in one week, according to the club.
  • Raptors forward RJ Barrett entered the NBA’s concussion protocol on Wednesday and missed a matchup with his former team, the Knicks, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. Barrett stayed in Sunday’s game after hitting his head on the court. According to Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter link), he was evaluated by the team’s medical staff on court after hitting his head, after Sunday’s game, and again on Monday, but didn’t exhibit concussion symptoms until Monday night.

Julius Randle To Be Sidelined ‘For The Near Future’

A right groin strain will keep Timberwolves forward Julius Randle out of action “for the near future,” coach Chris Finch said in a session with reporters before tonight’s game (Twitter link from Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic).

While that’s a vague assessment, it sounds like the Wolves may be reluctant to let Randle play again before the All-Star break, which is less than two weeks away. Minnesota has eight games remaining before the break, starting with tonight’s contest against Washington.

Finch added that the training staff needs to get a second opinion on some medical imaging before setting a timeline for Randle to resume playing, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. However, Finch indicated that the veteran forward is expected to be sidelined for more than just a few days.

Randle had to leave Thursday’s game at Utah in the second quarter when he experienced soreness in his right groin area, Hine writes in a full game story. He played a little over 10 minutes and wasn’t able to return.

Randle’s health is a legitimate concern after the shoulder separation that caused him to sit out the second half of last season with the Knicks.

He has been remarkably durable in his first year with Minnesota, as tonight marks his first missed game. The three-time All-Star has played a major role in the team’s recent resurgence and is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists through 48 games.

In Randle’s absence, Naz Reid will make his first start of the season and will probably remain in the starting lineup until Randle is able to return.

Injury Notes: Nets, Quickley, Craig, Wolves, Davis

The banged-up Nets, who have seven players listed as out for Saturday’s matchup with Houston, provided updates on a handful of their injured regulars on Friday, as Michael Scotto of HoopsHype relays (via Twitter).

Guard Cam Thomas, who has been unavailable since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to make his return shortly after February’s All-Star break, per the Nets. Big man Noah Clowney will also likely remain on the shelf through the All-Star break after being diagnosed with a left ankle sprain.

Forward Cameron Johnson, meanwhile, is still day-to-day with the right ankle sprain that has cost him the past four games. He won’t play on Saturday.

The injury news in Brooklyn isn’t all bad. After leaving Wednesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, center Day’Ron Sharpe isn’t on the injury report for Saturday. Neither is forward Trendon Watford, who made his return on Wednesday after missing 21 consecutive contests while recovering from a left hamstring strain.

“It was good,” Watford said of his first game back (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of The New York Post). “I’m just glad to be back out there with the guys, back playing basketball. Missing 21 games, I’ve been missing it ever since I left the game in Cleveland. It was great to be back.”

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

  • Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley will be active on Friday vs. the Bulls after missing eight games due to a right hip strain, tweets Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. It was the third extended injury absence of 2024/25 for Quickley, who is appearing in just his 10th game of the season and will be on a minutes restriction against Chicago, Lewenberg adds.
  • Bulls wing Torrey Craig will be inactive for a 15th consecutive game on Friday due to a right ankle sprain, but he appears to be nearing a return — he participated in shootaround today, per head coach Billy Donovan (Twitter link via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago).
  • Timberwolves forward Julius Randle will miss his first game of the season on Saturday, having been ruled out vs. Washington due to a right groin strain, according to the team (Twitter link). However, Minnesota did pass along more positive injury news, announcing that rookie Terrence Shannon has been cleared for full-contact 5-on-5 activities and is being listed as questionable to play on Saturday (Twitter link). Shannon, who sustained a right mid-foot sprain while on a G League assignment, last saw the court for the NBA club on December 23.
  • According to Lakers head coach J.J. Redick, the team isn’t expecting an extended absence for Anthony Davis, who was ruled out for at least a week due to an abdominal strain. Redick is hopeful Davis will be back in action at some point next week, per Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group (Twitter link).

Jimmy Butler Rumors: Asking Price, Warriors, Suns, Randle

After ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the Heat have lowered their asking price in trade talks for Jimmy Butler as they look to get a deal done ahead of next Thursday’s deadline, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter links) hears that the team has begun to show more willingness to consider taking on salary beyond 2025/26 as long as the contract isn’t “outrageous.”

Jackson’s report comes on the heels of Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports stating that the Warriors have reentered the mix for Butler now that Miami has dropped its asking price. Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed during a SportsCenter appearance on Tuesday (YouTube link) that Golden State has been back in touch with the Heat about Butler.

Jackson points specifically to Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins‘ contract, which includes a $30.2MM player option for 2026/27, as one that the Heat might not be totally opposed to taking on. By comparison, Bradley Beal, who is said to be of zero interest to the Heat, has a $57.1MM player option for ’26/27, along with the no-trade clause that he’s reportedly not interested in giving up if dealt.

While the Heat are loosening their requirements a little, their preference remains to acquire shorter-term deals that expire as soon as possible, Jackson writes. According to Jackson, for each extra year of salary the Heat take on, they want a “carrot” such as a draft pick.

Here’s more on the Butler situation:

  • The Sunstrade with Utah that saw them split their 2031 first-round pick into three less valuable first-rounders wasn’t specifically about trying to acquire Butler, according to plugged-in Phoenix-area radio host John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). Gambadoro says the Suns expect to be a good team in 2031 and felt like giving up that pick was a worthwhile risk in order to gain three separate assets that could be used to upgrade the roster.
  • Ian Begley of SNY.tv suggests keeping an eye on the Timberwolves in the event of a multi-team Butler blockbuster. As Begley explains, the Heat were among the teams that expressed interest in trading for Julius Randle during the 2024 offseason and have kept tabs on the forward following his trade to Minnesota. Randle could become a free agent as early as this summer – he holds a $30.9MM player option for 2025/26 – which makes his contract a fit for Miami. Begley adds that the Heat and Timberwolves have been in touch, though he isn’t sure if there are any active talks between the two teams.
  • As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, the Heat pulled out an “invigorating” double-overtime win over Orlando in the first game of Butler’s latest suspension on Monday. Meanwhile, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at what life without Butler looks like on the court for the Heat, observing that the team has begun to lean more heavily on bigger lineups.

Knicks Notes: Robinson, Randle, DiVincenzo, Towns

Knicks center Mitchell Robinson posted on his Instagram account Friday that his weight is down to 268.2 pounds as he awaits medical clearance to begin practicing, writes Peter Botte of The New York Post. Robinson, who is recovering from ankle surgery last May, is hoping to take part in practice by the end of January, but coach Tom Thibodeau cautioned that there are still several steps remaining.

“Just working individually right now. So he hasn’t been cleared. There will be a progression and it starts with 1-on-0, which is really where he is right now,” Thibodeau said in Friday’s pregame session with the media. “He hasn’t been cleared for contact yet. So that will be the next phase.” 

Robinson’s return would be welcome for the Knicks, who have missed having a reliable rim protector. Thibodeau also confirmed that he envisions having Karl-Anthony Towns spend time at power forward to create a pairing with Robinson similar to what he had with Rudy Gobert in Minnesota.

“We feel like with Karl’s comfortable doing both, playing both positions,” Thibodeau said. “So we feel like it will be an added weapon for us.” 

There’s more from New York:

  • Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, who made his return to Madison Square Garden on Friday after being traded in October, told Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that he often wonders how good last year’s Knicks could have been if he hadn’t suffered a shoulder injury. Buoyed by a late-December trade for OG Anunoby, New York was tearing through the league before Randle was lost for the season on January 27. “We went into every game expecting to win,” Randle recalled. “Teams would hang around and we would end up winning by like 20 points. It felt like we were starting to get super dominant. We had everything. And everybody’s game was going to the next level. Chemistry was dope. It was unfortunate the injuries happened. But that team was incredible.”
  • Randle was the only major player from that trade who took part in Friday’s game, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. Donte DiVincenzo was ruled out with a sprained left big toe, while Towns was a late scratch as he recovers from a right thumb injury he suffered Monday. There were no video tributes for Randle or DiVincenzo, according to Popper, as those took place during a preseason contest. “The thing is, it’s actually the third time we played now,” Thibodeau said. “And as time goes on, there’s always going to be that connection — it’s the reality of our league. Like I said, every night, there’s something for somebody. Just stay focused on getting ready to play. But that’s part of his story, part of Julius’ story, part of Donte’s, and that’s what makes the league what it is.”
  • The Knicks’ reliance on Towns was on display Friday, Popper adds, as they struggled to score without him available. New York is just 2-3 without Towns, who averages 25.4 points and 13.9 rebounds per night.

Northwest Notes: Finch, DiVincenzo, Wolves, Clingan, Jazz

After Saturday’s loss to the Pistons, the Timberwolves‘ third consecutive defeat, head coach Chris Finch insisted that he was not going to make any changes to his starting lineup, according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune.

“You guys ask me this question all the time,” Finch said. “If I felt that the magic bullet was changing the starting lineup, I would’ve done that already. I don’t think I’m being particularly stubborn. There’s a chain reaction to everything you do. There are other combinations and things that go on on the floor that are just as important if not more so than the starting lineup.”

Finch’s starting five for most of the season was made up of guards Mike Conley and Anthony Edwards, forwards Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle, and center Rudy Gobert. As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic details, Finch defended the group’s struggles in the opening frame against the Pistons. In the eventual 119-105 Minnesota loss, the Pistons managed to overcome a 53-point effort out of Edwards.

“In fact, our starters didn’t get us off to a poor start tonight, except they had some low energy,” Finch said. “I didn’t like their defense, particularly… But I thought that, offensively, they looked OK.”

Apparently they didn’t look OK enough, as Finch opted to swap in combo guard Donte DiVincenzo for Conley ahead of a 108-106 victory over the Clippers on Monday, Krawczynski writes in a separate story for The Athletic. Minnesota used the new-look starting lineup again on Tuesday in New Orleans.

“I just read all the papers, and what everybody was telling me and said, ‘You know what, s–t, I should change the starting lineup,’” Finch joked on Monday.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

  • The 2024/25 iteration of the Timberwolves are still seeking an identity, contends Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “Every game matters, especially in the West,” Gobert said. “We have confidence in who we are and who we can be as a team, but it has to show on the court. We have to focus on the things we can control, and everything else will follow.” Goodwill writes that the club’s on-court dynamic ahead of the Clippers clash was looking remarkably shaky, adding that the team has struggled to mesh with new additions Randle and DiVincenzo. Although Randle’s shooting from long range has improved significantly from his last season with New York, Goodwill notes that he has been a defensive liability.
  • Trail Blazers rookie center Donovan Clingan has impressed defensively, but remains very raw on the other end, notes Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report in a reader mailbag (Substack link). Highkin projects that Clingan will be a long-term pro thanks to his already high-level defense, but notes he has a ways to go as a scorer. Highkin also predicts a long-term futures for general manager Joe Cronin and head coach Chauncey Billups and unpacks the upside of his squad’s young core.
  • As the Jazz‘s youth movement begins to find its footing, Utah has started winning occasional games — entering Tuesday’s action, the team was 4-5 in its last nine games after starting the season 5-20. Those on-court improvements could prove detrimental to the club’s clear goal of maximizing its draft position this summer, observes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Utah currently has only the fifth-best lottery odds. “The messaging doesn’t change,” head coach Will Hardy told Jones. “The players deserve all of the credit. They have dug in, and they have bought into the little things that it takes to win. This has become a cohesive group that’s committed to helping each other.

And-Ones: Randle, Ingram, EuroLeague, Non-Guaranteed Deals

Timberwolves forward Julius Randle and Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram each have All-Star berths under their belts, and Ingram is coming off a five-year, maximum-salary contract. Under the NBA’s old new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Randle and Ingram might have already secured lucrative new extensions. In the current CBA landscape, their uncertain futures reflect teams’ wariness to commit big money to second- or third-tier stars, according to William Guillory and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

Guillory and Krawczynski take a closer look at potential next steps for the two standout forwards, pointing out that both players continue to perform well but also laying out reasons why their days with their current teams may be numbered. Ingram will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, while Randle holds a player option for 2025/26.

Guillory believes Ingram is more likely than not to be somewhere besides New Orleans next season. Krawczynski suggests Minnesota may look to trade Randle or let him walk as a free agent in the summer unless everything comes together for the Wolves during the second half of this season in a way that it hasn’t in the first half.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • The EuroLeague and IMG, the league’s primary business partner, have reached an agreement to extend their relationship through the 2035/36 season. What does that mean for the NBA’s efforts to introduce a new professional league in Europe? Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic digs into the subject, writing that the EuroLeague’s 13 permanent members – including clubs like Real Madrid, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Anadolu Efes – now seem less likely to leave for an NBA-run European league, though the new contract does include opt-out clauses for teams.
  • Noting that it was a relatively quiet January 7 in terms of roster cuts, Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron explores whether teams have become more inclined in recent years to hang onto players on non-guaranteed contracts through the annual league-wide salary guarantee deadline.
  • In an ESPN roundtable, Tim Bontemps, Bobby Marks, Kevin Pelton, Michael Wright, and Jamal Collier discuss several topics related to the upcoming trade deadline, including which team most needs to make a splash, which team in each conference will improve the most at the deadline, and whether the Lakers will make another in-season deal.

Northwest Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Henderson, Jazz, Nuggets, Dort, Wallace

The Timberwolves haven’t looked like the team that went to the Western Conference Finals last year in the early part of this season after replacing Karl-Anthony Towns with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo via trade. Randle has a $30.9MM player option for next season, and Fred Katz of The Athletic ponders whether the veteran forward will wind up opting in as opposed to hitting free agency.

As Katz points out, there are few teams with projected cap space next offseason. Trades to shed salary to create cap space are also hard to pull off, and teams may be pickier than ever with their long-term money, given the restrictions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Katz also looks to other top potential free agents like Jimmy Butler and James Harden, and the difficulty either would have in finding suitable money from a competitive team if each declines his player option for 2025/26.

While Randle and his representation likely wouldn’t have considered proposing a team-friendly long-term deal below his projected option salary to Minnesota in the past, the new CBA landscape could change things. Randle, who is extension-eligible, is averaging 20.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season.

We have more from the Northwest Division:

  • DiVincenzo continues to round into form after a cold start to the season, shooting 48.5% from three in his past five games. After the Timberwolves won consecutive games on Wednesday and Friday, the guard spoke on the team’s chemistry, according to The Star Tribune’s Chris Hine (Twitter link). “We know what the expectations are,” DiVincenzo said. “We know everything and everybody feels it. But at the end of the day, can’t do s–t about it. We have to stay together. You either grow apart or grow together. Tonight was huge.
  • The Timberwolves‘ narrow win over the Rockets on Friday showcased a team with title aspirations, The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Anthony Edwards hit a game-winner, head coach Chris Finch handled rotations well, and several pieces stood out. But the play of Randle and DiVincenzo is perhaps the biggest reason for optimism, Krawczynski writes, with Randle going for 27 points and DiVincenzo hitting six threes. “It’s tough. Four straight years, four different teams,” DiVincenzo said. “But the thing about this team is they’ve embraced me. They’ve embraced my ups and downs and continued to push me because I know — and they know — the tide turns. You ain’t gonna be down the whole season. That’s everybody’s mentality here, and I really feel at home.
  • 2023 No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson‘s stats for the Trail Blazers this season are underwhelming, but he had one of the best moments of his young NBA career on Thursday against Utah. Henderson made the game-winner for Portland while scoring 18 points and 10 assists. “You dream of plays like that,” Henderson said, according to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin.
  • Meanwhile, the Jazz falling to Portland in last-second fashion was an “ideal loss,” opines Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. Rookie Isaiah Collier drew his second career start and showed flashes while the rest of the young core got an opportunity for big minutes.
  • The Nuggets have lost two games in a row and surrendered 149 points to the Cavaliers in their latest defeat. After Friday’s loss to Cleveland, Nikola Jokic addressed Denver’s lackluster play that has the team outside the top six in the West, according to DNVR Sports’ Harrison Wind (Twitter link). “We are not even close to where we’re supposed to be,” Jokic said. “I think how bad we’ve played, we’re in a good spot. We need to start thinking what I can do for this team to help, not what the team can do to help me…We should point [the thumb not the finger].
  • Thunder guards Luguentz Dort and Cason Wallace are both listed as out for Saturday’s game against the Hornets, according to The Oklahoman’s Joel Lorenzi (Twitter link). Dort is dealing with an ankle sprain while Wallace is suffering from a quad contusion. This will be Wallace’s first career missed game since entering the league last year.

Northwest Notes: Billups, Randle, Gordon, Murray, Caruso

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups will miss the next two games — on Thursday and Saturday against Utah and Dallas, respectively — due to the recent passing of his grandmother, Portland announced in a press release (via Twitter).

According to the team, assistant Nate Bjorkgren will serve as acting head coach in Billups’ stead. Bjorkgren has previous head coaching experience with Indiana, though his stint was short-lived.

Our condolences go out to Billups’ family and friends.

Here’s more from the Northwest:

  • Following the Timberwolves‘ victory over Dallas on Wednesday, power forward Julius Randle said he’s still getting used to acting as more of a facilitator after spending several years in New York being “wired to score,” according to Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “That’s really been the biggest change. You’re somewhere for five years, playing a certain way and I come here and it’s a little bit different,” said Randle, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he declines his $30.94MM player option for 2025/26. “I love my role here. I love playing with my teammates, but finding what helps the team and what the team needs the most on a night-to-night basis has been the harder part, but everybody has been great with me, coaches included, helping me adjust and figuring things out.”
  • The Nuggets are dealing with lingering injuries to Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. In the third quarter of Wednesday’s loss in Phoenix, Gordon aggravated a calf strain which already caused him to miss 10 games in 2024/25. “Thats the unfortunate thing — and the Suns have gone through this themselves — with those soft tissue injuries, is they linger. They hang around. They hang around,” Malone said of Gordon. “And you make one explosive move and you feel it. And I could tell in that third quarter, he goes, ‘I feel like it’s about to, like, really have a bad strain.’ So that was the decision at that point in time. Take him out, get him checked and shut him down for the night to hopefully avoid something a lot more sinister and severe.” Murray, meanwhile, revealed a couple weeks ago that he’s been dealing with plantar fasciitis for “years” and has also battled hamstring and ankle injuries this season, the latter causing him to miss Monday’s game. Denver’s starting point guard suggested he wasn’t fully healthy during yesterday’s game, per Durando.
  • Thunder defensive stalwart Alex Caruso has been ruled out of Thursday’s game vs. Indiana due to a left hip strain, as Rylan Stiles of Sports Illustrated relays. According to Stiles, Caruso exited Monday’s contest early when he dove for a loose ball and appeared to land on his hip. Caruso, who recently signed a four-year, $81.1MM extension, will miss his ninth game of the season Thursday, largely due to issues with his left hip, Stiles notes.

Western Notes: Colllins, Wembanyama, Finch, Murray

Zach Collins has lost his rotation spot with the Spurs, but he’s not going to cause a distraction. Collins, who hasn’t played in the last five games (including three DNP-CDs) after seeing the court in each of the first 24 this season, says he’ll be ready to play whenever called upon, he told Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

“I’ve said this since I’ve been here, I want to play 48 minutes a game,” said Collins, who is signed through next season. “But right now it’s not my role, so my job is just to stay ready. I got to stay ready as a professional when my number is called. God forbid, somebody gets hurt, but the lineups change, somebody gets sick, whatever. Guys have to be ready. Not just me, but all the guys that haven’t been playing, we all got to be ready, so that’s where my mind’s at.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

  • Victor Wembanyama is a unique talent and he knows it. He told the Spurs not to underestimate his versatility prior to his rookie season, Michael C. Wright of ESPN reports. “The best way for me to help is to not put me in a box,” he said then. Wembanyama wasn’t popular in Philadelphia on Monday, as he was showered with boos after Joel Embiid was ejected and Andre Drummond was nearly ejected. Wembanyama was accused of flopping before the officials realized he had tripped. “I’ve seen much, much worse, so this is nothing,” Wembanyama told Orsborn when asked about the hostile fans.
  • Chris Finch is grasping for solutions to fix the Timberwolves’ slumbering offense. The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski writes. Minnesota has lost three straight and the team’s offense has dropped to 23rd at 110.3 points per 100 possessions. Finch has continued to stick with his usual eight-man rotation, though it may be time to do something bold, such as swapping Naz Reid for Julius Randle in the starting lineup, Krawczynski writes. Finch is open-minded about making changes. “Everything’s always on the table, for sure,” the head coach said. “But also we need to keep looking at lineup combinations as the game goes on, too.”
  • Nuggets guard Jamal Murray missed Monday’s game against Phoenix after spraining his right ankle the previous night. The Nuggets will face the Suns again on Christmas Day and Murray is listed as questionable, the team tweets. Murray, who is averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 assists, has missed six games this season.