Lakers: Isaiah Thomas will never be re-signed because of Julius Randle

How it affects Isaiah Thomas:

If Julius Randle was not in the picture I would give Isaiah Thomas a much greater chance in resigning with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although it would still be a stretch due to several factors, it would be a lot more conceivable for LA to keep him around.

However, with Randle in the picture, it is just hard to imagine any scenario in which the Lakers would keep Isaiah Thomas.

First and foremost, the salary request. Thomas obviously values himself highly and may simply be chasing the biggest payday this summer. With Randle to handle and any other potential stars, the Lakers are not going to be able to get Thomas more than $10 million. It is hard to see Thomas taking any deal of this caliber with LA, especially if a young rebuilding team is offering him over $20 million.

Throw in the fact that Thomas has not worked well with his superstar peers and it is hard to back any kind of idea that he belongs on the Lakers. Lonzo Ball is obviously the point guard of the future and the Lakers have depth with the surprising performance of Josh Hart.

While there will be a gap to fill in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Thomas’ size and defensive woes are too much of a liability to even consider staggering minutes at the two. In re-signing Randle, that superstar search can focus on a shooting guard; potentially Paul George.

Seeing Thomas as a Laker next season is already like trying to shove a square into a circular hole. WIth Randle, that square turns into a cube.