Julius Randle
Another restricted free agent, Julius Randle has started to put it together, although he has always been a solid ball-handler and passer at the four spot.
Being a one-and-done product out of Kentucky, the Lakers selected him with the seventh pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. After injuring his leg just 14 minutes into his first game, Randle was forced to miss the rest of his rookie season. However, hehas been very durable since then.
At 6’9″ and 250lbs, Randle does not offer the athleticism of an Aaron Gordon but has a fluid game and and can move around the floor pretty well. The lefty is not much of a deep shooter as evident in his 0.5 3-point attempts a game.
That said, Randle has shown an ability to hit from the mid-range and is effective from the the elbows. His offensive game is a face up and attack style. He has improved footwork on the low block and can play some small ball five from time to time.
Like Gordon, his current team’s roster situation is interesting. The Lakers are clearly big name hunting this summer and would likely have to renounce his rights if they are able to land one of the big fish out there. However, the Lakers may be forced to wait until they hear from the top free agents and might want to keep as much cap space as possible. A decent offer right off the bat at the start of the free agency period should be able to make the Lakers hesitate and let him go.
With the emergence of Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram at the forward spots there may also not be room for Randle in Los Angeles even if they cannot land a single max-level player.