It became apparent Finch had a much better idea of how Julius would react than those questioning the decision. The coach and the No. 2 scoring threat had a conversation, Randle’s aggressiveness became an important factor as the Wolves flew at the OKC defense from the start, and after his 24 points in 30 minutes, Julius said:

“Me and Finch been through all the ups and downs this season. He knows who I am. I know who he is … I trust him to do what’s best for the team. I know he has no evil intent.”

Randle knows that part of the reason basketball President Tim Connelly pulled the pin on this trade was this:

Finch had a belief in Randle’s talent and competitiveness dating to Julius’ one season in New Orleans (2018-19), where Finch was an assistant coach.

Randle then spent five seasons in New York. He was having an All-Star season with the Knicks in 2023-24, but a shoulder injury requiring surgery limited him to 46 games and he missed the playoffs.