Despite being without Lonzo Ball, the Los Angeles Lakers have been experiencing a resurgence as of late. Bannered by a young core, the Lakers have managed to win 11 of their last 15 games, and among the brightest spots in the Tinseltown team is power forward Julius Randle.
The seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft has averaged 16.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game during that span. These are gaudy numbers that should demand serious attention from other teams, especially due to the fact that the Lakers have already dangled him in trade talks — that's not the case, however.
Normally, those stats coupled with Randle's age should warrant quite a harvest for Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, and co. in discussions. However, all those have been thrown out the window and teams have become more concerned about the young forward's impending restricted free agency.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, this scare has led to teams pushing forward less attractive offers to the Lakers.
So far, the Lakers have turned down several teams offering second-round picks for Julius Randle, league sources tell ESPN. No one will offer a first with him headed into restricted free agency.
The summer of 2018 promises to be a crazy one as big-name free agents, led by, most probably, LeBron James and Paul George are set to hit the market. This future free agent pool has teams working double-time to clear cap space.
As such, Randle's possible addition only complicates things as he is sure to demand a huge pay. These days, a first-round pick holds so much value that it's a no-brainer why the Lakers have failed to get something desirable out of a remarkable talent like Randle.
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