Lakers forward Julius Randle may soon be heading out of Los Angeles.
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A lottery pick of the Lakers in 2014, Randle is approaching a cross roads with the Lakers, and according to ESPN, his future with the team looks bleak. In fact, he could get traded before February's deadline.
Randle's minutes have dropped this season despite an injury to Larry Nance Jr. (hand). Rookie Kyle Kuzma, not Randle, has played close to 40 minutes a night while the Randle hasn't topped 24 minutes in 10 games this season.
According to the report, the Lakers' front office is likely to extend Randle a qualifying offer giving him restricted free agent status this summer. With the Lakers owning "extremely healthy cap flexibility," as general manager Rob Pelinka put it, re-signing Randle and adding two max contracts this upcoming offseason seems unlikely.
Randle could the odd-man out in L.A. as 2018 free agency approaches. The Lakers could also renounce Randle’s rights if they sign big names next summer, thus erasing his $12.4 million cap hold and making Randle an unrestricted free agent.
Randle, 22, is averaging 12.1 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his young career.