Should Lakers Pursue Julius Randle Reunion amid NBA Trade Rumors?
Despite overhauling the back end of their roster in NBA free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers haven't made wholesale changes during the 2022 offseason.
Not yet, anyway.
Russell Westbrook is still rocking purple and gold alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers haven't had the resources to add any household names, so their biggest additions are players like Lonnie Walker IV, Thomas Bryant and Troy Brown Jr.
L.A. has, however, been connected to several notable players, and the latest rumor actually links the franchise with a familiar face. The Lakers could have interest in reuniting with one-time lottery pick Julius Randle should the New York Knicks land Donovan Mitchell and want to shed Randle, per Marc Stein.
Randle is a productive player, but he's also pricey and not a seamless on-paper fit in this frontcourt. So, should the Lakers take the plunge, or could they find better options? Let's explore.
The Potential Positives
Last season's Lakers were pretty putrid on offense, and injury issues weren't solely to blame. In fact, L.A. was even less efficient over the 576 minutes James and Davis shared (106.5 offensive rating) than it was overall (110.0, 22nd, per NBA.com).
Randle has his warts—and we'll get to them in a bit—but he could immediately scratch itches for more scoring and shot-creation.
Two seasons back, he was a nightly source of 24.1 points and 6.0 assists, plus a 45.6/41.1/81.1 shooter. His efficiency tapered off in 2021-22, but his volume remained top-notch, as he was one of only four players to average 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic were the others.
Randle's regression might have stemmed from needing to do too much heavy lifting in New York. Plugged into a support role in L.A, he could perhaps become more efficient than ever.
The Possible Problems
This season is the first of Randle's four-year, $117.1 million contract, per Spotrac. That's difference-making money, and he simply hasn't lived up to that label.
Even in his All-Star season, his actual impact on the Knicks was negligible. The difference of having him on the floor was all of 0.2 points per 100 possessions, per Basketball-Reference. This past season, the Knicks fared 9.5 points better per 100 possessions when he didn't play.
It's hard to say, in other words, how much he actually contributes to winning, and that could be even more of a challenge in L.A. He works best with the ball in his hands, which means the Lakers either wouldn't get him at his best or would have to take touches away from James. Randle also wouldn't alleviate any concerns with spacing or defense, since neither are his strong suits.
Plus, the potential cost of the trade itself is another factor. Are the Knicks good with simply swapping out Randle's deal for Westbrook's expiring contract, or would the Lakers need to send out a sweetener or two?
The Verdict
The idea of a Randle reunion is sort of interesting.
He'd be hard to handle as the third offensive option, and the Lakers could squeeze out a lot of scoring by staggering him, James and Davis. It also seems more likely than not Randle would provide more value than Westbrook has, so the Lakers would have a decent chance of coming out ahead in the exchange, depending on the cost.
All of that said, this wouldn't be my first or second choice if I was L.A. Randle's isolation scoring isn't hugely helpful if it cuts into the usage rates of James and Davis. Randle's inability to stretch the floor or defend consistently means he can't help this club where it needs it the most.
A straight-up Randle-for-Westbrook swap would be theoretically interesting, but even then, the Lakers can probably find better fits. It might cost them an extra draft pick or two, but they'd be better off declining a Randle deal and trying to get something done for either Kyrie Irving or a package of Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.