Lakers: Isaiah Thomas will never be re-signed because of Julius Randle
By Jason Reed
So what does this mean for Julius Randle and Isaiah Thomas?
The biggest loser out of this may actually be Julius Randle, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Randle could have made huge money on the open market earlier in the NBA life cycle. Now, his value may be under-evaluated and his pay will take a direct hit.
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Despite that, I still see Randle returning to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Bird Rights will give LA flexibility with Randle. The intrigue that would come with a fresh-faced star in Los Angeles would be a lot for Randle to turn down. That is a huge factor with the Mavericks as a potential early front-runner for Randle.
As for Thomas, he will likely make in the ballpark of $10-15 million outside of LA on a team that could use his star power. His strong play down the stretch is bringing that value up, however, it is nowhere close to where it was a year ago.
I would assume that this contract would be a one-year deal; allowing Thomas to prove his worth without any team taking a significant risk. Heck, if the Lakers cannot land LeBron James or Paul George, that could be the only way to bring Thomas in. On a one-year deal, preparing for 2019.
That is a possibility but I highly doubt it. In large part due to Randle and the Lakers’ smart emphasis on him this off-season.
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So, any Laker fans that want to see Isaiah Thomas return must pray for a one-year deal. However, another superstar would be much better suited, especially with a (hopefully) returning Julius Randle.