Julius Randle is too legit to be a second option in free agency

[BBBKobe]

I don't think Rob will let Magic let us spend max money on someone they were close to trading on deadline day. That's 21-23 million over the next five years. Then you throw money at Ingram and Ball in a few years... Why not just keep Russell, Clarkson, and Nance then? Doesn't make sense.

Rob will find a way to keep Randle, but not at max money.

[JohnVancouver]

http://www.basketballinsiders.com/fixing-the-los-angeles-lakers-3/

A well-thought analysis of where we are and why we need to lock Julius up

[Landsberger]

I don't think Rob will let Magic let us spend max money on someone they were close to trading on deadline day. That's 21-23 million over the next five years. Then you throw money at Ingram and Ball in a few years... Why not just keep Russell, Clarkson, and Nance then? Doesn't make sense.

Rob will find a way to keep Randle, but not at max money.

If we may spend max money on him..... someone else most likely will. We can match but other teams know what we are trying to do this offseason and my guess is that he gets a huge offer immediately that includes a starting lock. Not sure we can do that if we're still going after Bron and PG. Randle can play center in small stretches but he's not a center long term.

If those guys do sign then Randle's play may make Ingram the odd guy out.

It will be interesting for sure to see how it plays out.

[TylersLakers]

This is the thread for it.

Julius Randle averages:

February (10 Games):

19.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 58.9% FG, 61.4% FT

March (9 Games):

23.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 60.6% FG, 76.7% FT

He has to remain a Laker this off-season by any means necessary.

[BBBKobe]

This is the thread for it.

Julius Randle averages:

February (10 Games):

19.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 58.9% FG, 61.4% FT

March (9 Games):

23.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 60.6% FG, 76.7% FT

He has to remain a Laker this off-season by any means necessary.

Pretty good numbers. I still don't think he's worth 25.3 million, which is his max cap this summer. Let's pray we can move Deng this summer without taking anything back. That opens up a whole new world.

[TylersLakers]

This is the thread for it.

Julius Randle averages:

February (10 Games):

19.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 58.9% FG, 61.4% FT

March (9 Games):

23.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 60.6% FG, 76.7% FT

He has to remain a Laker this off-season by any means necessary.

Pretty good numbers. I still don't think he's worth 25.3 million, which is his max cap this summer. Let's pray we can move Deng this summer without taking anything back. That opens up a whole new world.

I don't think he'll get that. Every front office insider expects somewhere between 12-16M. And that's up from 9-12M a few months ago.

[Pythagoras]

This is the thread for it.

Julius Randle averages:

February (10 Games):

19.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 58.9% FG, 61.4% FT

March (9 Games):

23.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 60.6% FG, 76.7% FT

He has to remain a Laker this off-season by any means necessary.

Pretty good numbers. I still don't think he's worth 25.3 million, which is his max cap this summer. Let's pray we can move Deng this summer without taking anything back. That opens up a whole new world.

I don't think he'll get that. Every front office insider expects somewhere between 12-16M. And that's up from 9-12M a few months ago.

Quite honestly, with the way he’s been playing, if retaining Randle is still only gonna cost about half what it costs to bring in PG, then he’s moved ahead of him on the priority list.

[Landsberger]

This is the thread for it.

Julius Randle averages:

February (10 Games):

19.4 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 4.3 APG, 58.9% FG, 61.4% FT

March (9 Games):

23.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.0 APG, 60.6% FG, 76.7% FT

He has to remain a Laker this off-season by any means necessary.

Pretty good numbers. I still don't think he's worth 25.3 million, which is his max cap this summer. Let's pray we can move Deng this summer without taking anything back. That opens up a whole new world.

I don't think he'll get that. Every front office insider expects somewhere between 12-16M. And that's up from 9-12M a few months ago.

All it take is one FO to want him to make that number go up. I'm sure the league will figure out just enough to offer him to make us make a hard decision. That's how the game is played. My guess it's Dallas.

[Vae Victus]

Yea but i think FOs are gonna be a bit more disciplined these days on the deals they give out, and dont be like the next fools who overpaid Mozgov/Deng or matched max RFA offer sheets for Crabbe/Porter Jr types. You dont give out major/max money to a player unless theyre a true impact versatile player.

At most you give out Joe Ingles, Lou WIll money, to those types who are obvious not franchise changers, but are still good players useful to any team.

Also teams need to go over the top to snatch Randle from us, necessitating a near max offer chock full of poison pills. A reasonable offer like 10-14m will get matched instantly (trade Deng for smaller deal and stretch that, ezpz). 16m might make us hesitate, but ultimately match (we'll be asking Lebron to take a paycut), then when u go 18+ mil u REALLY start thinking about his flaws and what if he doesnt improve. Do you want to be that franchise that gave a big deal to a guy and HAVE to build a team around him to maximize his effectiveness, without being a guaranteed franchise type.

That's the problem with Randle. He doesnt score in the flow of the game, he's turning into an ISO clearout faceup driving big. We have BroLo camping at the 3pt line conceding the paint to Randle and everyone else is low usage for the most part. Randle is "succeeding" and getting his, but its taking a pretty specific set of circumstances for him to get there.

Teams need to take that into consideration before throwing a big deal at him.

Personally, i feel after weighing the pros and cons, teams wont pursue Randle unless it's for a reasonable deal. Similar to Noel last year, plenty of teams coulda used him, but only at a certain price point. However DAL was gonna match any reasonable deal, so why bother going after him. Noel is a nice piece but he wasnt a franchise savior. Thus Noel took the qualifying after stupidly turning down a nice 4 year 72mil extension out of greed. With the current bear market for FAs this year, i wouldnt be surprised one bit if Randle comes back to us on the QO.

Which would be a HUGE coup for Maginka in showing off their savvy negotiating skills!

[Kupchak9]

Come to think of it, I'd rather take the chance on Cousins than sign Lebron. Lebron just comes with way too much baggage, and I think he'd be able to pressure the front-office into trading our youngsters for his desired vets...

I dont want to give up the next 8-10 years of our youth just to capitalize on Lebron's remaining 2-3 year championship window, which will inevitable be for naught.

Plus if Cousins returns to near-form, he'd fit so well with our team. We'd be able to sign PG and extend Randle. Get some decent vets for the MLE/minimum.

Cousins/Lopez to the MLE?
Randle/Kuzma
Ingram/minutes between Kuzma and Hart/vet min
George/Hart
Ball/vet PG

[LAKESHOW]

Cousins on the cheap? That would be a steal. But I'm gonna trust the process.

[evilpimp972]

Cousins on the cheap? That would be a steal. But I'm gonna trust the process.

Except that won't happen, NO will max him, they don't have other choices, it's either Cousins or NOTHING

[Kilroy]

I seriously doubt Cousins will see max money again... I think even NO is going to want to see him play basketball again before paying him... For a dude his size, who relies so much on athleticism to be effective, I think the smart money is still on Cousins being a shell of the player he was before.
Cannot understand for the life of me, why Laker fans would still consider Cousins any kind of priority at this point... Do you not remember all the people saying Kobe was done after the exact same injury? Or what a 'miracle' it was he was still able to play at a reasonably high level? Even though we all saw he'd lost a lot...

[evilpimp972]

I seriously doubt Cousins will see max money again... I think even NO is going to want to see him play basketball again before paying him... For a dude his size, who relies so much on athleticism to be effective, I think the smart money is still on Cousins being a shell of the player he was before.
Cannot understand for the life of me, why Laker fans would still consider Cousins any kind of priority at this point... Do you not remember all the people saying Kobe was done after the exact same injury? Or what a 'miracle' it was he was still able to play at a reasonably high level? Even though we all saw he'd lost a lot...

He didnt rely on athleticism, he had a big body but was never fast, he was just too strong
For NO, this is the context :

- Do you, not give the max to Cousins, and then risk losing him while you traded your picks for him?
- Who can you have if Cousins leave? You have ZERO cap space, NADA. They gave Holiday that contract based on the big 3 they thought they had.
- If you lose Cousins, with no one to replace him, you lose AD, they are also friends and AD wants him there

Either way, they ll max him just like they maxed Jrue, no brainer.

[stan francisco]

Cousins could barely jump over an apple even before he tore his Achilles. More like enormous size than any athleticism. He will be roughly the same but even slower on defense.

I didn't want him pre injury and I definitely don't want him near this team now. They will re-sign him. AD will soon thereafter leave for the Lakers (or god forbid Celtics).

I think this is a big long term background race between the Lakers / Magic and Celtics / Ainge while GSW win a few more rings: who will be best positioned to land AD once he demands out? Right now it would be the Celtics. In two years, it could be us. Deng's remaining expiring could be useful at that point.


1) Finish season off on a winning streak!!! It's vitally important that BI, LB, JR, KK play career best ball on the home stretch. Why? Free agents.

2) Sign either a) LBJ long term OR, b) PG short term (1+1), not both. PG doesn't have what it takes to be a star here long term. Randle is already much more efficient and scores and rebounds more than him already (March). We have three good to star wing men already: BI, JH, KK.

3) Match offers for Randle up to $19-20M per, give him 4+1, team option.

4) Lopez or Nurkic. Preface: I couldn't stand sideshow BroLo beginning of season. But I love how he's now used as the go-to post player that he really can be and now is. And Luke must've given him the defense speech of his life because he's playing decent defense recently!!! I would never have thought. Give him a reasonable offer to stay and I think he'd like to stay here regardless of big money vs huge money. If we can sign LBJ and Nurkic, we don't need to bother with Lopez.

Ball, Hart, Ingram, James, Kuzma, Julius, Lopez/Nurkic, Cavs FRP. More vets will want to join that team under Magic's smile and umbrella.

Maybe even AD.

And with Deng's expiring in the fold, we should have enough to trade for AD whenever he wants out. All while being a legit contender.

At stake: Laker-Celtic rivalry 2021-2025. I think they'll offer the world (minus KI) for him this summer. I'd HATE that.

Preventing it starts with retaining Julius. We can not pay star money for role players and that we can not sign the wrong star long term.

Randle before PG.

[larry14r]

Cousins could barely jump over an apple even before he tore his Achilles. More like enormous size than any athleticism. He will be roughly the same but even slower on defense.

I didn't want him pre injury and I definitely don't want him near this team now. They will re-sign him. AD will soon thereafter leave for the Lakers (or god forbid Celtics).

I think this is a big long term background race between the Lakers / Magic and Celtics / Ainge while GSW win a few more rings: who will be best positioned to land AD once he demands out? Right now it would be the Celtics. In two years, it could be us. Deng's remaining expiring could be useful at that point.


1) Finish season off on a winning streak!!! It's vitally important that BI, LB, JR, KK play career best ball on the home stretch. Why? Free agents.

2) Sign either a) LBJ long term OR, b) PG short term (1+1), not both. PG doesn't have what it takes to be a star here long term. Randle is already much more efficient and scores and rebounds more than him already (March). We have three good to star wing men already: BI, JH, KK.

3) Match offers for Randle up to $19-20M per, give him 4+1, team option.

4) Lopez or Nurkic. Preface: I couldn't stand sideshow BroLo beginning of season. But I love how he's now used as the go-to post player that he really can be and now is. And Luke must've given him the defense speech of his life because he's playing decent defense recently!!! I would never have thought. Give him a reasonable offer to stay and I think he'd like to stay here regardless of big money vs huge money. If we can sign LBJ and Nurkic, we don't need to bother with Lopez.

Ball, Hart, Ingram, James, Kuzma, Julius, Lopez/Nurkic, Cavs FRP. More vets will want to join that team under Magic's smile and umbrella.

Maybe even AD.

And with Deng's expiring in the fold, we should have enough to trade for AD whenever he wants out. All while being a legit contender.

At stake: Laker-Celtic rivalry 2021-2025. I think they'll offer the world (minus KI) for him this summer. I'd HATE that.

Preventing it starts with retaining Julius. We can not pay star money for role players and that we can not sign the wrong star long term.

Randle before PG.

You do know PG is younger and more easier to get than LBJ.

[LAKESHOW]

Just theorizing, can you imagine if we had a healthy porzingis? Let Randle go to work down below. Porzingis. BI. KUZ. PG(?). Whoever else Out on the perimeter? Anyways, as mentioned before, I still see a lot of deficiencies in Randles game, but those can be fixed through practice and experience. He has played his way to deserve a spot on the team.

[stan francisco]

Cousins could barely jump over an apple even before he tore his Achilles. More like enormous size than any athleticism. He will be roughly the same but even slower on defense.

I didn't want him pre injury and I definitely don't want him near this team now. They will re-sign him. AD will soon thereafter leave for the Lakers (or god forbid Celtics).

I think this is a big long term background race between the Lakers / Magic and Celtics / Ainge while GSW win a few more rings: who will be best positioned to land AD once he demands out? Right now it would be the Celtics. In two years, it could be us. Deng's remaining expiring could be useful at that point.


1) Finish season off on a winning streak!!! It's vitally important that BI, LB, JR, KK play career best ball on the home stretch. Why? Free agents.

2) Sign either a) LBJ long term OR, b) PG short term (1+1), not both. PG doesn't have what it takes to be a star here long term. Randle is already much more efficient and scores and rebounds more than him already (March). We have three good to star wing men already: BI, JH, KK.

3) Match offers for Randle up to $19-20M per, give him 4+1, team option.

4) Lopez or Nurkic. Preface: I couldn't stand sideshow BroLo beginning of season. But I love how he's now used as the go-to post player that he really can be and now is. And Luke must've given him the defense speech of his life because he's playing decent defense recently!!! I would never have thought. Give him a reasonable offer to stay and I think he'd like to stay here regardless of big money vs huge money. If we can sign LBJ and Nurkic, we don't need to bother with Lopez.

Ball, Hart, Ingram, James, Kuzma, Julius, Lopez/Nurkic, Cavs FRP. More vets will want to join that team under Magic's smile and umbrella.

Maybe even AD.

And with Deng's expiring in the fold, we should have enough to trade for AD whenever he wants out. All while being a legit contender.

At stake: Laker-Celtic rivalry 2021-2025. I think they'll offer the world (minus KI) for him this summer. I'd HATE that.

Preventing it starts with retaining Julius. We can not pay star money for role players and that we can not sign the wrong star long term.

Randle before PG.

You do know PG is younger and more easier to get than LBJ.

Yes. And he's not as good, not a long term solution as a star. 1+1 is all I'd give him.

[larry14r]

Cousins could barely jump over an apple even before he tore his Achilles. More like enormous size than any athleticism. He will be roughly the same but even slower on defense.

I didn't want him pre injury and I definitely don't want him near this team now. They will re-sign him. AD will soon thereafter leave for the Lakers (or god forbid Celtics).

I think this is a big long term background race between the Lakers / Magic and Celtics / Ainge while GSW win a few more rings: who will be best positioned to land AD once he demands out? Right now it would be the Celtics. In two years, it could be us. Deng's remaining expiring could be useful at that point.


1) Finish season off on a winning streak!!! It's vitally important that BI, LB, JR, KK play career best ball on the home stretch. Why? Free agents.

2) Sign either a) LBJ long term OR, b) PG short term (1+1), not both. PG doesn't have what it takes to be a star here long term. Randle is already much more efficient and scores and rebounds more than him already (March). We have three good to star wing men already: BI, JH, KK.

3) Match offers for Randle up to $19-20M per, give him 4+1, team option.

4) Lopez or Nurkic. Preface: I couldn't stand sideshow BroLo beginning of season. But I love how he's now used as the go-to post player that he really can be and now is. And Luke must've given him the defense speech of his life because he's playing decent defense recently!!! I would never have thought. Give him a reasonable offer to stay and I think he'd like to stay here regardless of big money vs huge money. If we can sign LBJ and Nurkic, we don't need to bother with Lopez.

Ball, Hart, Ingram, James, Kuzma, Julius, Lopez/Nurkic, Cavs FRP. More vets will want to join that team under Magic's smile and umbrella.

Maybe even AD.

And with Deng's expiring in the fold, we should have enough to trade for AD whenever he wants out. All while being a legit contender.

At stake: Laker-Celtic rivalry 2021-2025. I think they'll offer the world (minus KI) for him this summer. I'd HATE that.

Preventing it starts with retaining Julius. We can not pay star money for role players and that we can not sign the wrong star long term.

Randle before PG.

You do know PG is younger and more easier to get than LBJ.

Yes. And he's not as good, not a long term solution as a star. 1+1 is all I'd give him.

The problem is that neither PG or LBJ will come alone so it has to be both or nothing. Also one of them alone will not get out of the west.

[MelosSoreWrist]

You do know PG is younger and more easier to get than LBJ.

Yes. And he's not as good, not a long term solution as a star. 1+1 is all I'd give him.

The problem is that neither PG or LBJ will come alone so it has to be both or nothing. Also one of them alone will not get out of the west.

Im guessing if OKC doesnt at least reach the WCF, there wouldnt that much pulling him to stay. He can get bounced out in the first round being the star in LA.