Los Angeles Lakers: Five burning questions that will be answered this offseason
By Jason Reed
1. Is Julius Randle worth star money?
The Los Angeles Lakers front office have a situation on their hands that they may not have expected to have at the beginning of last season.
Heading into the 2017-2018 season, it was safe to say that it was probably going to be Julius Randle’s last year as a Laker. With not much cap space at the time, Randle simply did not fit in the Lakers’ budget were they to go an get a superstar. Hence why the two sides could not agree to a contract extension.
Plus, other things did not help the issue either, such as Randle losing the starting job to Larry Nance Jr. at the beginning of the season.
However, Randle played phenomenal for a short-manned Lakers team that no longer had Nance after he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. After the All-Star Break, Randle averaged 19.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Still on the rise, Randle looks poised to breakout and be all-star caliber next year.
This offseason will prove whether or not NBA teams are willing to pay Randle all-star money. There are a limited amount of teams that can offer Randle a decent contract, and being a restricted free agent, the Lakers can essentially match the market value of Randle.
The Los Angeles Lakers are likely going to match that market value up to a certain amount, what that amount is will become clear as the offseason progresses.