Sources: Randle off to Nets as part of 3-team deal...

Dave McMenaminJun 22, 2026, 10:21 PM ET

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Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.

Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

The Brooklyn Nets are acquiring three-time All-Star Julius Randle from the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of three-team deal that also will send center Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday night.

Randle and the Wolves' No. 28 pick in Tuesday's NBA draft will go to Brooklyn, which will send its No. 33 pick to Minnesota, sources told ESPN.

The deal involves two of the teams -- Brooklyn and Chicago -- that had the most salary cap space heading into free agency. Randle's $33.3 million salary for next season is now slated for the Nets' books; Claxton's $23.3 million goes on the Bulls' ledger.

The Wolves now will have greater flexibility to re-sign forward Ayo Dosunmu, who was acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline in February. They also will have the $15.1 million non-taxpayers midlevel exception and the $5.5 million biannual exception available to fill out the roster in free agency, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Dosunmu, 26, was an instant fit for the Wolves, averaging 19.2 points on 50% shooting (42.5% from 3), 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the postseason, helping Minnesota stay competitive while superstar Anthony Edwards dealt with a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise in the first round against the Denver Nuggets.

Minnesota also will create a $33.3 million trade exception, according to Marks.

Randle, 31, will return to the Big Apple after playing five seasons with the New York Knicks before he was traded to the Wolves, along with Donte DiVincenzo, in a deal for Karl-Anthony Towns in October 2024. In two seasons with Minnesota, Randle helped the Wolves win three playoff series, but he struggled in a second-round loss to the San Antonio Spurs last month, averaging 12.8 points on 34% shooting (19% from 3) in the six-game series.

But Randle had a strong regular season in which he was one of 10 players to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists and appeared in 79 games - his most in a season since 2017-18.

Claxton, 27, will join Chicago's youth movement after spending his entire career in Brooklyn, which drafted him in the second round in 2019. The 6-foot-11, 215-pound big man averaged 11.7 points on 57.1% and 6.9 rebounds per game this past season. He also set career highs in touches and assists and was the first Nets player with at least 250 assists and 75 blocks in a season since Derrick Coleman in 1993-94.

Because Chicago is using cap space to acquire Claxton, the deal cannot be finalized until July 6, according to Marks.