Lakers Rumors: What the Lakers can receive from a Julius Randle trade

Packaged for a center

Another route the Los Angeles Lakers can take with Julius Randle is to package him in a deal that would bring in a dominant big man. Los Angeles has another good power forward on the roster in Larry Nance Jr, so the team may be better suited to flip Randle for a center. Ivica Zubac is fine, but he is not necessarily dominant in any way.

With a fairly deep free agent class of power forwards, this is easier for the Lakers to pull the trigger on. Los Angeles can target a big man on a rebuilding team, giving them Randle and some first or second round picks in exchange.

The perfect target to inquire about would be the Pistons Andre Drummond. Despite struggling immensely at the free throw line, Drummond would give the Lakers that dominant rebounding and shot-blocking big man who has been on every championship team. The Lakers could ship off Randle, the Rockets first round pick this season and a future second rounder.

However, Drummond has a fairly large contract, so it would need to be more than just Randle. The Lakers would also have to throw in Luol Deng to make the trade doable, which may not be all that appealing to Detroit. But still, they can throw in their young big man, Ivica Zubac, and this could become a deal that both parties can agree upon.

If you love Julius Randle or Ivica Zubac and don’t want this deal to transpire I can understand. However, personally, I think the Lakers need a dominant big man to succeed. Drummond would give them just that.