MINNEAPOLIS — Naz Reid saw it. Anthony Edwards saw it, too. So did the thousands of fans packing the Target Center, their eyes locked on Julius Randle as Karl-Anthony Towns made his highly anticipated return to Minnesota on Thursday.

Randle stood in the paint, swarmed by three Knicks defenders. The open man was there — two of them, in fact. Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker both stood uncontested behind the 3-point line, arms ready for the pass.

But, as had so often been the case during his time in New York, the ball seemed glued to Randle’s hands.

Reid pointed at McDaniels. Edwards gestured emphatically, then flailed his arms in frustration. Wolves fans, sensing the squandered opportunity before it even unfolded, joined in unison with a phrase Knicks fans had shouted countless times before.

“Pass the ball!”

Randle eventually moved the ball — but three seconds too late. In the NBA, a fraction of a second can decide a possession, a quarter or even a game.

By the time Randle hit McDaniels, Mikal Bridges had already rotated to help. McDaniels swung the ball to Alexander-Walker, but the window had slammed shut, too.

What could have been an open corner 3 five seconds earlier turned into an entirely different challenge. Alexander-Walker had no choice but to attack Precious Achiuwa’s close-out, driving into the paint and launching a fading 2 over two defenders — a far tougher shot.

The basket was good, but the moment underscored a larger issue. The possession wasn’t just a clunky sequence; it was a snapshot of why the Knicks had to move on from Randle — and why the Timberwolves may soon need to consider the same.

Randle’s struggles with ball movement and defensive disengagement when his offense isn’t flowing were issues in New York, and they persist in Minnesota. Ball-stoppers rarely align with the principles of winning basketball, and Randle’s tendencies are as entrenched as ever.

That single possession epitomized why the Knicks are the clear winners of the blockbuster Towns-for-Randle (and Donte DiVincenzo) trade. It’s also a glaring reason why the Timberwolves sit eighth in the Western Conference after tying for second and reaching the conference finals last season.

“We don’t have no identity,” Edwards said postgame, his frustration palpable. “We know imma shoot a bunch of shots. We know Ju gonna shoot a bunch of shots. That’s all we know. We don’t really know anything else. It’s not on the coaches at all. It’s on us.”

Pressed on how to fix the offense, Edwards held back. “They not going to like what I say, so I’m just going to keep it to myself.”

If moving on from Randle is the unspoken solution, it’s not one that comes easily. The former All-Star is owed $33 million this season and holds a $30.9 million player option for the 2025-26 campaign. With limited projected cap space across the league next summer — and Randle’s trade value steadily declining — there’s a strong chance he picks up the option, keeping him in Minnesota for at least another season.

Meanwhile, Towns is thriving in New York, transforming the Knicks’ offensive identity in ways Randle never could.

Insert shrug emoji here.

Randle is the Timberwolves’ problem now. Once a fixture responsible for dragging the Knicks back to relevance, he’s now the headlining outgoing player in a trade that is a resounding franchise-defining win for New York’s front office.

The same issues that plagued Randle at Madison Square Garden have followed him to the Target Center, much to the chagrin of his new fan base.

Meanwhile, Knicks fans can finally breathe easy. The days of Randle’s ball-stopping tendencies stifling the flow of the offense and limiting his teammates are firmly in the rearview mirror.

Talkin’ trash

Bridges loves to taunt his opponents every chance he gets — not out of malice, but because it fuels his fire. Known as one of the most likable players in the NBA, Bridges uses competitive banter to energize himself, and that energy is contagious for his teammates.

“Me? [A trash talker?] No, no, not at all,” Bridges said with a grin. “I love to compete. But it’s always love. I feel like it’s always love. I just love those types of games. Everybody’s juiced up, everybody’s locked in, so it’s fun.”

Cameron Payne, one of Bridges’ closest friends on the team, said Bridges’ fiery gestures on the court give the bench players extra motivation to stay engaged.

“Honestly, I be trying to bring my energy, but sometimes, when you on the court, you see your mans turning up, you like, ‘All right, now I gotta make sure I turn up. He’s locked in, lemme make sure I’m locked in,’ ” Payne said. “So it’s kinda that for me. Have fun out there. I don’t necessarily think he’s a trash talker cause everybody in the league likes him, and he likes everybody. So I don’t think it’s trash talk — it’s just competing out there.”

Bridges is Knicks’ iron man

Bridges isn’t just the Knicks’ leading scorer since Dec. 1; he also leads the entire NBA in total minutes played and miles traveled on the court during that span.

Payne has one theory: Chipotle. Bridges is famously loyal to the Mexican food chain, a habit Payne believes might be his secret weapon.

“Man, shoutouts Chipotle. I don’t eat Chipotle enough, I guess,” Payne said with a laugh. “That man stay out there and run all day. He’s big-time with [Chipotle]. It’s crazy. I’ve been with him since Phoenix, and I’ve been trying to figure out what he do to stay healthy. Man, he sits around and do the same stuff I do. I don’t know, man — he’s blessed. He’s gifted for sure, in that area.”

Bridges, who has never missed a game in his professional career, is currently averaging a league-high 38.3 minutes per game. The grind, however, doesn’t seem to faze him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said Thursday morning. “I think I led minutes years ago. I don’t know what it was — minutes or miles or whatever — but yeah, I’m fine.”

No Hart vs. Wolves

The Knicks downgraded Josh Hart to questionable due to personal reasons ahead of Thursday’s matchup, with head coach Tom Thibodeau later ruling him out during his pregame press conference.

Hart’s availability for Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans remains uncertain.

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