Restricted free agent Julius Randle is hopeful that he will return to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Julius Randle looked like they would be divorcing sooner than later when the 2017-18 season began. Randle did not like the role he had with the team, coming off the bench in favor of Larry Nance Jr.
Randle put in a lot of work during the offseason but he did not want to come off the bench. After an early-season swoon, something clicked with Randle and he came to play.
Randle picked things up after moping and being upset the first few games of the season. Randle put together arguably the best season of his career, something no one could have seen coming with how things began.
Randle finished the season averaging a career-high 16.1 points per game on 55.8 percent from the field. The 16.1 points per game were tied for the team lead with Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram.
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Randle also added 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in only 26.7 minutes per game. The minutes per game were Randle’s lowest in his career, but he produced at a higher level on the court. He was also the only Lakers player to appear in all 82 games this season, starting 49 of them.
Randle will be a restricted free agent this summer. In October, it seemed unlikely that the Lakers would be retaining him. Most people thought he wouldn’t even make it through the season in Los Angeles.
However, with how well Randle played, he should land himself a nice contract this summer. Will that payday come from the Lakers? Head coach Luke Walton certainly hopes so, as he would like for Randle to be re-signed. Randle shares the same sentiment as Walton, as he hopes to return to the Lakers as a free agent.
During his exit interview with the team, Randle shared that returning to the Lakers seems to be his preference at this point.
"“This is the place that drafted me, so obviously I have those ties. I love it here,” Randle said.“Great people, great organization, front office, everybody in LA has been great. It would be amazing to be here. Hopefully both sides can come to something.”"
Free agency is going to be a busy time for the Lakers. In addition to Randle, Isaiah Thomas, Brook Lopez, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Channing Frye are unrestricted free agents. They will have a number of decisions to make, but we all know what the Lakers master plan is.
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Los Angeles is hoping to land two max free agents this offseason. If they are going to accomplish that, some players will have to be let go. A case can be made that Randle should be retained. Free agency is not for another few months, but it is something that will be discussed in detail until deals are agreed upon.