Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell would both land back with the Los Angeles Lakers in a new trade pitch that would also send four bench players and a haul of draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets.
The trade framework, constructed using tools at the NBA trade-machine platform Fanspo, would send out Jarred Vanderbilt, Collin Sexton, Jake LaRavia and Dalton Knecht, along with a 2028 first-round pick carrying Utah swap rights and two second-round selections routed through Washington, to acquire Randle. A separate move has the Lakers signing Russell to a one-year, $3.9 million contract, a fallback the poster frames as useful only if Russell is bought out elsewhere.
Randle, the No. 7 pick out of Kentucky in 2014, started his career with the Lakers before later stops with the New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
His Lakers debut lasted all of one game before a broken leg wiped out his rookie season, a rough beginning to a career that eventually turned him into one of the league’s most physical frontcourt scorers and a three-time All-Star. Last season, Randle averaged 21.1 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Timberwolves, according to NBA.com statistics, adding 5.0 assists. Brooklyn acquired the two-time All-NBA selection in June in a three-team trade.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Julius Randle Fit
Randle ranks as the Lakers’ top trade target this offseason, according to a Bleacher Report analysis.
“Respectfully, Randle is a bully on the court,” Bleacher Report wrote, adding that Randle has claimed he set overly physical screens for Kobe Bryant during Bryant’s 60-point farewell game, a detail that still colors how Lakers fans view his game.
Russell, the No. 2 pick in 2015, would return to Los Angeles for a third stint. He has since played for the Nets, Warriors, Timberwolves, Mavericks and Wizards, and now sits with Memphis after already picking up a $6 million option for this season, according to NBA.com.
Brooklyn Nets’ Side of the Ledger
Brooklyn, rebuilding after landing Randle over the summer, would collect four rotation-caliber players and draft capital in return for a $33.3 million veteran. Vanderbilt and Sexton can contribute right away, while LaRavia and Knecht carry shorter, cheaper deals that suit a team stripping down for the future.
Space is the real obstacle. Fanspo‘s own calculations show Brooklyn topping out at 18 standard contracts after the swap, three over the league’s roster limit, meaning players would need to be waived or the deal would need a third team to absorb the overflow.
Financially, the framework is close to even. Randle’s $33.3 million salary nearly offsets the four outgoing contracts, producing only a modest cap increase for Los Angeles. The bigger cost is apron status. The deal would hard-cap the Lakers at the first tax line, cutting off their full mid-level exception unless Randle later signs a cheaper long-term contract. Whether or not this exact framework ever becomes possible, pairing Randle’s physicality with Luka Doncic’s playmaking alongside Walker Kessler up front is the kind of frontcourt fix Los Angeles keeps circling back to as it hunts for size behind its two young stars.
Lakers Trade Pitch Reunites L.A. With Julius Randle For Vanderbilt-Led Haul