Julius Randle Injury Update: Insider drops key update on 18.9 PPG star's return from month-long absence

Although Julius Randle has had a bit of a down year in his first season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he is still a much-needed piece for the team to make its playoff push. Randle's extended absence due to a groin injury sustained on Jan. 30 is a hindrance to both the optimal performance of the Wolves and his personal acclimation to the team.

As the Wolves (32-27, 7th in the West) look to secure an outright playoff spot, they can certainly use the services of the three-time All-Star. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Wolves could be welcoming Randle back to the lineup in a matter of days:

"I'm told that there is optimism that Julius Randle and Donte DiVicenzo will be able to return to the lineup at some point over the team's upcoming four-game road trip," Charania said on ESPN's NBA Countdown this Sunday.

The road trip mentioned by Charania, which began on Monday, consists of matchups against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the LA Lakers, the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns. Though Randle missed the Wolves' 131-128 win over the Thunder, Charania's report can still come true as there are three games left on this trip.

In 48 games this season, Randle is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. While these numbers are down from his last season with the New York Knicks, he has already surpassed the total of 46 games he played alongside Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

Insider casts doubt on Julius Randle remaining with the Minnesota Timberwolves after this season

While Charania reported on Randle's imminent return to the Wolves lineup, his fellow ESPN insider Brian Windhorst brought up the possibility of the team parting ways with Randle after this season:

"The challenge with them is, they're a second-apron team," said Windhorst of the Wolves on "NBA Today" this past weekend. "It's just very hard to improve their roster, and probably why I don't know if they're gonna be able to keep Julius Randle after this year" (Timestamp::6:01).

If the Wolves' front office does decided to get rid of Randle, it would mark his third team in three years.