Lakers Rumors: What the Lakers can receive from a Julius Randle trade
By Jason Reed
Packaged for Paul George
Paul George is the most talked about target for the Los Angeles Lakers, and rather than just waiting, the Lakers may pull the trigger and trade for him now. The common consensus is to wait for George to be a free agent, and then sign him, so the team does not have to give up anything. While that makes a lot of sense, it may not be that simple.
If the Lakers speak to George and know that he wants to sign an extension, there should be no reason that they don’t pull the trigger.
More from Los Angeles Lakers
- Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
- Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
- Lakers Rumors: Jason Kidd no longer being considered for Pelicans job
- Lakers Rumors: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo expected to opt out
- Los Angeles Lakers are finally the 2020 NBA Champions
First, the team can sign him to five seasons opposed to four, which would be huge in the negotiations. Second, the Lakers would then have Bird rights on George, allowing the team to go over the salary cap with his contract.
Owning these Bird rights is huge because it makes room for another star to join Los Angeles. Rumored target DeMarcus Cousins is a free agent after next season, so the Lakers could bring him in and then sign George with his Bird rights.
To get this deal done, the Lakers would need to give up their future. First, the two players packaged in this deal would be Randle and Clarkson, which makes sense because if the Lakers draft a guard, well, they don’t need Clarkson.
Then, the Lakers would likely need to give up the Rockets pick this year, and likely their 2019 and 2020 first round picks. This should be enough for Indiana to let George go, as he likely will walk after this season anyways.
Next: Who is most likely to get drafted by LA?
Overall, the Lakers rumors surrounding Julius Randle continue to rise. As the speculation increases, it is becoming more and more likely that we may see Randle part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers.