NBA Trade Rumors: Lakers’ Julius Randle Could Be Traded This Season, Team Won’t Agree To Extension
As the 2017-18 NBA season is about to start on Tuesday night, there are Los Angeles Lakers trade rumors that may heat up regarding power forward Julius Randle. Reports are indicating that Randle is unlikely to receive a contract extension with the team that would keep him as part of the roster. While Randle is expected to play for the Lakers this season, the latest news seems to leave the young player’s future with the team uncertain. It could mean he’s willing to play for less to help the team. It also could indicate a potential trade package will occur in the coming season or offseason that includes Julius Randle in the deal.
On Monday, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne tweeted that as most people expected, there was “no extension expected” with Randle and the Los Angeles Lakers. Shelburne also mentioned that the conversations with regard to the extension were “cordial” but that there’s a “cap space issue” all parties seem to understand. This seems to indicate that Julius Randle is alright with not getting the extension or that he knows he’ll need to look into options for his future. The Lakers seem much more interested in attracting big-name players after this season, including Paul George and possibly LeBron James.
Since there appears to be no contract extension planned, it would indicate that Randle can join NBA free agency next summer. The interesting aspect here is that the Los Angeles Lakers have been part of many rumors floating around. In particular, the Cleveland Cavaliers may have become interested in the fact that Randle could be on the trading block knowing full well that LeBron James might leave Cleveland for Los Angeles after this season. Would they even consider putting together a major trade with the Lakers to send LeBron to the team he supposedly wants to play for?
As far as Randle goes, he’s set to enter his fourth season in the NBA. This past season, he averaged 13.2 points and 8.6 rebounds along with 3.6 assists. Those numbers have been a bit consistent with his averages for his short career thus far. Most fans felt that Randle was part of a solid young core that the Lakers were planning to build around. The other parts of that core would seem to include Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, but now the Lakers are looking like they have free agents in mind this summer.
With that said, if Julis Randle ended up being traded to the right team for him, he certainly seems like he could become a solid double-double player and potentially an All-Star depending on if he goes to the Eastern Conference or not. He’ll be in action with his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Thursday night as they host the other Los Angeles team, the Clippers, starting at 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
[Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]
