Thinking on this just from a different side with a lot of "ifs" in it of course. There is an upside if Jules takes the QO and gets to play with Bron and PG. If he balls over the year with these two guys especially taking some of the banging heat of Bron then he makes himself more money. If he gets hurt then that is a downside of course. Take that out and just put him on a team with those guys he gets playoff experience, big man cred on a good team and paid the next year as a UFA. Not sure what Jules will do but I can see him and his agent talking about the Lebron effect of making a big playoff run, putting up solid big man numbers on a team with two great players. Might be worth the shot for him.
Or he could get benched for no reason like last year. The ship of taking a paycut has sailed for Randle. Breaking his leg in his 1st game as a pro, he knows more than anyone what's at stake. He's taking the money like he should.
I don't think any ship has sailed. Won't be surprised if he takes the money but to say for sure that is what he is doing like it is fact isn't actually fact. Being able to cash in after a year of playing with guys who are going to garner much more attention will increase his value. You think his agent is talking about what he could get coming out as a UFA after abusing guys because Lebron and PG or KL are getting all the attention? I didn't say it was a lock or anything just a possibility.
If Dallas trades for Jordan, the market for Julius is affected considerably. That could open the QO door for LA.
I highly doubt he does that. If anything it will make him more receptive towards a lucrative S&t to a destination that he prefers but is capped out enough to give him a lucrative deal themselves. The only way I see him taking the QO is if he gets a wink wink that he'll definitely be taken care of the following summer... especially if he does it to help bring George here. But then wave hi to a whole new can of tampering worms.
I agree that a sign and trade would be preferable, but what destination is willing to make that move? There's multiple pieces at play with that possibility. If destinations dry up, it might force him to consider the QO although I agree it's unlikely.
Gonna hurt like a mother f***** to lose this guy and his potential for years to come. Hopefully we can retain him, god willing... *This is at the Lakers practice facility*
I saw this pic and had to caption it, me, exactly what I feel like right now, probably a lot of other Laker fans do as well.
If only my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle. Sorry if that hit close to home for anyone. It was unintentional.
I'm sure his agent is reminding him that there are no guarantees, including playing time. He came back in the best shape of his life and struggled to find playing time behind Nance and Kuzma. He may not even be a starter with PG, KL and Lebron on the roster. I think you are overestImating the trust Randle has in the FO and coaching staff. And my observation is that most players find their value plummet playing next to Lebron.
Julius has the bad luck if having his free agency in 2 loaded FA classes with a lot of team cash-strapped anyway because of their awful 2016 deals. The NBA is as much about talent as it is about the right window of opportunity when it comes to getting paid.
QO baby. unrestricted next year and maybe the market is better? though it's really the following year that all of the terrible deals come off the books. keep in mind that the S&T angle is tough for the lakers because they're trying to use all their space. S&Ts will require salary coming back.
I'll answer you over here @Punk-101 The "two max" plan has always been that the Lakers waive their rights to every FA they have and also waive Deng. That gives them just enough room for two max deals. The only way to keep Randle is to find a way to dump Deng without taking any salary back.
I'm not disagreeing that he would take the money he can get now. Not even going to argue against his agent pushing him to get all the money he can now. All I am saying is he could choose the one year shot to up his stock. Crazier things have happened
If George spurns LA without even taking a meeting, that’s gotta make things a little awkward when we discuss Randle with Mintz.
