New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends DiVincenzo to Hawks, Randle to Cavs, Garland to Minnesota

The Minnesota Timberwolves became the latest team to fall out of the postseason race due to their Game 5 blowout loss to the OKC Thunder, plunging them into an off-season rife with change. The Timberwolves have to make a decision on the future of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who is due for an extension, while also negotiating an extension for center Naz Reid and planning for an impending Julius Randle decision on his $30 million player option for next season. It is extremely likely that Minnesota will lose one of the three this summer - the question is how the Wolves plan to fill that loss.

If Randle is not interested in staying with the Timberwolves, but cannot get the long-term offer he wants on the open market, then he can pick up his player option and work with the team to find a trade destination. He had a solid showing for Minnesota throughout their run and there should be interest in the former All-NBA forward. Furthermore, the Timberwolves are right below the first apron line of the salary cap and only have around $13 million dollars to work with before they are in the dreaded second apron. Therefore, it would make sense to explore moving on from Randle.

The Timberwolves don't have a lot of salary cap maneuverability, but the Cavaliers have even less. They're already $5.1 million dollars into the second apron and they only have 12 rostered players at the moment. Cleveland almost has to make a trade this summer and one of the most obvious candidates to be moved is Darius Garland. The point guard was named to his second All-Star team this season and has a ton of talent, but he's struggled in the postseason and the Cavaliers need to start capitalizing on their talent. Playoff physicality has been a consistent issue for Cleveland and has ultimately held them back from advancing deep into the playoffs. It's possible that adding Randle could help with that.

Because both teams are under strict financial restrictions, a third team would be helpful to take on salary and facilitate the deal. The Hawks make a ton of sense as that third team - they have $40 million in extra salary cap space under the luxury tax threshold and don't have a ton of free agents to bring back. Atlanta needs to add more frontcourt depth and defensive pieces, so any trade that meets those needs should be of interest to them.

Given the needs of all three teams, what would a trade look like between them? Here is one possible framework.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks or any other teams should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Donte DiVincenzo, Dean Wade, 2026 2nd round pick (via CLE), 2030 2nd round pick (via MEM, from MIN)

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Julius Randle, Vit Krejci, 2028 1st round pick swap (via MIN)

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: Darius Garland, 2025 2nd round pick (via CLE)

Why the Hawks would do this trade: DiVincenzo has been one of the better high-volume shooters from deep in the NBA over the past three seasons. In 2024-25, he shot 39.7% from deep on 7.1 attempts per game and posted an above-average TS% of 58.2%. DiVincenzo isn't entirely one-dimensional either - he posted a career-high AST% of 20.2% and took on more facilitation duties than he did in his previous roles. Although the Hawks were 4th in 3P% after the trade deadline, they still finished the season 18th in 3P%. Adding more shooting in the offseason is definitely a priority for the Hawks and if DiVincenzo looks like the player he was for the Knicks last postseason, this deal would be a steal for the Hawks. Wade is a solid backup power forward who offers some floor spacing (36% shooter from deep on 3.8 attempts per game), but his real value comes as a defender and rebounder. He can guard on the perimeter and helped keep the Cavs' second unit afloat on defense. Given that the Hawks have been heavily impacted by two straight season-ending injuries to Jalen Johnson, having a player like Wade allows them to reduce Johnson's workload and keep him fresh.

Why the Hawks would not do this trade: Although DiVincenzo was a big part of the Knicks' playoff rotation, he was much more inconsistent with Minnesota, posting a putrid 49.3 TS% and averaging 8.7 points across 15 playoff games. He's a high motor defender and he can get into passing lanes, but he isn't an especially strong isolation defender. Given that he would take up around 30% of the avaliable money that the Hawks have to spend this offseason, it's fair to wonder whether the Hawks would want a more complete two-way option. Wade has only played 60+ games in a season once in his career and his lack of avaliability could be a problem if the Hawks are relying on him to backup Johnson.

Why the Cavaliers would do this trade: After building a reputation as a bad playoff performer, Randle averaged a solid 21.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists on 62.2 TS%. He had good games against the Thunder in Games 1 and 3 while also excelling in his matchups against LeBron James and Draymond Green in the first two rounds of the playoffs. As the second scoring option in Minnesota this year, he averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists on 59.3 TS%, He isn't a true floor spacer (34.4% on 4.6 attempts per game), but he's enough of a shooter to keep Evan Mobley at the 4 and give Cleveland a bigger look at the 3. Randle is also a solid defender who can take on the other team's best wing, removing some of the defensive issues that the Cavs encounter by having Garland in the lineup. By doing this trade, the Cavaliers would run out a bigger starting lineup of Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Randle, Mobley and Allen while also having capable reserves in De'Andre Hunter, Ty Jerome and Isaac Okoro. This move also takes them out of the second apron and gives them a chance at retaining Jerome on a new deal. Krejci is a solid backup wing who can also play point guard and help Cleveland offset some of the lost playmaking from dealing Garland.

Why the Cavaliers would not do this trade: While this deal drops them out of the second apron, it doesn't create a ton of salary cap flexibility and the Cavaliers would only be $6.1 million under the second apron. They can probably retain Jerome, but filling out the back half of the roster and then figuring out a new deal for Randle becomes tricky. Furthermore, Randle's postseason inconsistencies can't be ignored. Even though this year was his best showing in the playoffs, he still had bad games in the Thunder series and was completely absent in their narrow Game 4 loss. It's unclear exactly what type of player Julius Randle is in the playoffs and that's definitely worrying.

Why the Timberwolves would do this trade: Garland gives Minnesota a primary playmaker that also improves Minnesota's spacing and takes some attention away from Anthony Edwards. Last season, Garland averaged a career-low 2.5 turnovers per game while posting the third-best AST% of his career (32.2%). He knows how to play off a primary option from his time with Donovan Mitchell and he's a high-volume shooter who can open the floor up for a Minnesota team incredibly starved for spacing. He shot 40.1% from deep on 7.1 attempts per game and there's reason to believe that number could climb considering how teams have to sell out to stop Edwards from deep. He's essentially a younger version of Mike Conley Jr, who's been an important part of Minnesota's success over the past two playoff runs. Trading Randle also opens up space for Naz Reid to enter the starting lineup, which falls in line with the new contract he's expected to receive from the Timberwolves. This deal also cuts $3.4 million in salary and gives them extra space to figure out deals with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and/or Reid.

Why the Timberwolves would not do this trade: For all of Randle's playoff struggles, Garland has had plenty of his own.. He hasn't been able to stay healthy throughout the playoffs, which has severely impacted his offensive impact in later rounds. Furthermore, he's a small guard who can be targeted on defense. Garland needs to get much stronger in order to stay on the court and hold up through the physical demands of the playoffs - it''s still unknown whether he can do that. Furthermore, he is under contract for the next three seasons at over $40 million starting in 2026-27. That's a ton of cap commitment to a player with postseason questions.

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