Los Angeles Lakers rumors: Julius Randle won’t be signed until free agency ends
By Jack Crosby
Many believe that the Los Angeles Lakers got one of the steals in the NBA Draft last month as they were able to select Kentucky forward Julius Randle with the no. 7 overall pick. We know that the team was excited about it, as was Kobe Bryant himself, who tweeted out his approval of the pick just moments after it’s made.
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However, the prized rookie, although cleared by doctors to hit the court, still remains unsigned with the team. And according to a report from ESPN Los Angeles, it will remain that way until the team sees whether or not they can lure one of the big-name free agents, mainly Carmelo Anthony, to the team.
They went on to explain the reasoning.
"“Free agents, first round draft picks and exceptions have ‘cap holds’ which are used to account for the money that is expected to be spent, reducing the amount the team can spend on other teams’ free agents. As the Lakers’ first round draft pick (and number seven overall), Julius Randle has a cap hold on the Lakers’ books for $2.497,800. If the Lakers were to make a free agent offer to, say, Carmelo Anthony, they can’t offer him any of the money that’s in Randle’s cap hold — it’s set aside for Randle."
Randle will eventually be signed, there’s no doubt about that, but the team must wait first to see whether or not they can add an experienced veteran to the fold.