Former Los Angeles Lakers forward (and No. 7 overall pick) Julius Randle was traded from the Timberwolves to the Nets this offseason as part of the LaMelo Ball deal. Randle's competitive spirit must've been crushed by the news, seeing as he's now playing for one of the worst teams in the NBA.
It feels like Randle's been in the NBA for 20 years, but it's only been 12. And he's still in his prime at 31 years old. This guy deserves to be playing for a team that's actually going places, not stuck in Brooklyn on a perpetual lottery squad. This is where a reunion would make sense for the Lakers. In fact, Bleacher Report recently pointed to the possibility of a Lakers-Nets trade involving Randle.
Julius Randle trade for Lakers isn't as appealing to Nets
If Randle could shoot the ball from 3 a tad better than his career 33.2 percent, he would be awesome for the Lakers. Many players improve as shooters as they age, so it's possible. As it stands, the Lakers might give a lot of their minutes at the four to Sandro Mamukelashvili. Randle would be the perfect yin to Mamu's yang -- a more dynamic and physically imposing option as a faux five than the sharpshooting Mamu is. The Lakers would feel super secure at the four spot if they had both of these guys in the rotation.
The problem for the Lakers here is that Rob Pelinka spent nearly all of the organization's draft capital over the summer while retooling things around Luka Doncic. If Pelinka wanted to call up the Nets and ask about Randle, he'd have very little to work with.
Randle would presumably relish a return to the Lakers, especially since it would mean escaping the lowly Nets. But it's hard to see a deal happening. Besides the meager draft capital that LA is endowed with at the moment, Randle's sizable 2026-27 salary ($33.3 million) would mean the Lakers would have to do a 4-for-1 trade with Brooklyn, creating roster limit problems for the Nets.
There's also the fact that LA's potential four-player package wouldn't appeal to the Nets from a talent standpoint. Bleacher Report pointed to a package of Jake LaRavia, Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht, and Jarred Vanderbilt almost working money-wise. Bringing in a third team would make everything easier, but again, who would actually be motivated to get involved, other than the Lakers?
The rebuilding Nets will surely consider trading Randle at the deadline, but if they're wise, they'll work with a team that has more draft capital than the Lakers. LA should basically let it be known that they're interested and pray that other deals fall through. Otherwise, a Randle reunion remains a long shot.
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