The Los Angeles Lakers still don’t have enough sand in those back pockets. In a Western Conference loaded with talented big men and teams who have multiple of them, the Lakers having just one dependable center probably isn’t going to cut it … perhaps even in preseason.
As much criticism the Lakers have received for surrendering all that they did to acquire Walker Kessler, the only thing that matters right now is that the Lakers don’t have enough to help Kessler shoulder some of the frontcourt burden. L.A. signed veteran center Kevon Looney as somewhat of an insurance policy, but Looney isn’t even expected to be in the rotation most nights. The team is also short on power forward depth, which has fueled trade rumors involving numerous players.
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It now seems like the Lakers will stand pat and go into the regular season with the roster they have, notwithstanding one or two smaller moves to trim the roster. But everyone and their mother would prefer the Lakers to push hard to make a trade for a starting-caliber power forward. One option, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus is former Lakers forward Julius Randle.
Ranking the top five Lakers trade targets in a recent article, Pincus slotted Randle at No. 1.
“Respectfully, Randle is a bully on the court,” Pincus wrote. “He can score (21.1 points per game last season for the Minnesota Timberwolves) and pass (5.0 assists), but what impressed the Lakers most when they drafted him was his brute strength. He’s not a perfect defender, but he fit in well on a strong Minnesota defensive unit. Randle has shot well from three before, but his career 33.2 percent isn’t ideal. Still, if he’s available, Randle would give the Lakers a very different frontcourt alongside Kessler, with (Sandro) Mamukelashvili backing him up.”
Randle has reinvented himself since leaving Los Angeles nearly a decade ago. Since the 2017-18 season, Randle has achieved three All-Star appearances and was selected to two All-NBA teams. Randle was recently traded to the Brooklyn Nets, but he was a driving force on a Minnesota team that appeared in two of the last three Western Conference finals.
Randle is No Easy Buy
The Nets perhaps wouldn’t mind moving Randle and unloading the greater than $60 million remaining on his contract, especially now that they are in (another) rebuild. But that still won’t make it easy for the Lakers to pick him up, though a deal is entirely possible.
“Randle is expensive at $33.3 million,” Pincus penned. “The Lakers would need to include (Jake) LaRavia, (Jaden) Hardy, (Dalton) Knecht and (Jarred) Vanderbilt, which would be problematic for the Nets in-season with the 15-man roster limit. A multi-team deal, which has become more common in the NBA, would help. Randle has a $35.8 million player option for 2027-28. If the Lakers are willing to pay him a new three-year contract … and Randle is willing to take a lower starting figure in the $25 million range, L.A. would still have its non-taxpayer mid-level exception at about $16 million next summer.”
Pincus may see Randle as the Lakers’ top trade target, but had they not been reluctant to make a move for a veteran forward on a hefty contract, perhaps they would have already gone after someone like Dallas Mavericks star P.J. Washington, who is not only younger but is someone who is a perfect fit alongside the Lakers’ money man at point guard.
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