Julius Randle may not play for Lakers Summer League team
By Bryan Rose
If somebody told you that Julius Randle would miss the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League, you’d likely suggest it was due to his foot injury. Thankfully, that’s not the case but it’s very possible that the No. 7 pick in Thursday’s 2014 NBA Draft may not participate on the Lakers’ Summer League team.
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So what’s the hold up? Julius Randle’s contract, apparently.
Now generally, such wouldn’t be much of an issue considering that first round draft picks are on a near pre-determined rookie scale. Yes, there actually is a small bit of wiggle room on contracts (something many aren’t aware of) but it’s usually so small financially it doesn’t make much of a difference.
However, for the Los Angeles Lakers, who are doing everything they can to clean off their cap space, a deal with Randle may not happen until after Summer League begins.
"After the franchise selected Julius Randle with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft on Thursday, General Manager Mitch Kupchak said he wasn’t sure.“We don’t know yet,” said Kupchak. “The summer league starts a day or two after the moratorium ends, so it depends on if we get him signed in time.”"
While getting Randle some floor time would be nice, especially so Los Angeles Lakers fans can see their newest addition, health wise he actually may be best served by sitting things out.
Add in that signing Randle may be the difference in bringing in a top flight free agent as well and you can see why the Lakers are a little hesitant to agree on a deal so quickly.