The Los Angeles Lakers have big plans for their mountain of salary cap space this summer. They are hoping to sign free agents LeBron James and Paul George to max deals but that might make it difficult to retain Julius Randle, who had a breakout year this past season.
On this episode of the Lakers Nation Podcast, host Trevor Lane and guest Keith Smith explain a path that would give Los Angeles enough cap space to do both. It won’t be easy, and would require some difficult – and possibly painful – decisions to be made, but it can be done.
The question of whether Randle is worth the trouble that would be required to keep him if the Lakers land both stars is brought up, and it’s a worthwhile discussion.
Additionally, the nuances of restricted free agency are discussed with an eye towards understanding exactly what the Lakers options are if Randle agrees to a big contract with another club at the earliest possible moment.
Could that prevent the Lakers from chasing other stars or would they be forced to watch him walk away?
On top of that, the Lakers draft picks are discussed as is the team’s strategy in the event that they don’t land any stars this summer.
If you want to know what free agency is going to look like for the Lakers, don’t miss this show. Click the player above to listen.
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