NBA Trade Deadline 2018: The 20 best players available

10. Julius Randle, Los Angeles Lakers

If the Lakers do decide to carve out two max-contract spots ahead of free agency in July, they’ll need to rid themselves of Julius Randle one way or another. Whether they ship him out by the trade deadline or relinquish his rights in free agency (thus negating his $12.5 million cap hold), they cannot keep him on their books and have enough cap space to sign two superstars to max deals.

Heading into the trade deadline, that forces the Lakers into a difficult decision. If they aren’t confident in their ability to lure the likes of Paul George, LeBron James and/or DeMarcus Cousins in free agency, they’ll be selling low on Randle to create cap space they ultimately might not need. If they opt to keep him past the deadline and their two-max gambit pays off, they’ll end up losing Randle for nothing in July.

According to ESPN.com’s Bobby Marks (via Harrison Faigen of Lakers Nation), opposing teams are reluctant to give up a first-round pick or an asset for Randle in a trade, as they can just sign him to an offer sheet once he becomes a restricted free agent in July. “If [the Lakers] keep him, that’s an indication that they’re going to retain him when we get into the summer,” Marks said.

Whichever path the Lakers take with Randle has the potential to blow up in their faces. Given how public they’ve been about their free-agency plans, other teams likely won’t give up a tremendous amount for him in a trade, either.

Next: 9. Tristan Thompson