Lakers rumors: LA gives up Julius Randle, makes him free agent without restriction | Bleacher's report

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly gave up the rights of restricted free agent Julius Randle on Monday , according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, making him a free agent without restriction.

In doing so, the Lakers released its $ 12.4 million cap by Spotrac. But the team has also dropped the right to match any offers that Randle receives in free agency, which adds to the likelihood that he will play elsewhere next season.

Randle asked the Lakers to give up his rights after it was clear that his role was going to change and that Los Angeles would not commit to it in the long run, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN .

The Lakers certainly make moves. Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania also reported Monday that the Lakers have agreed with veteran playmaker Rajon Rondo on a one-year, $ 9 million deal. He will join LeBron James, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee, who have already agreed to negotiate with the Lakers during the off-season.

The decisions made by the Lakers on Monday could signal further changes. Maybe giving up on Randle was the first step in the clearing hall to sign DeMarcus Cousins, who played Rondo alongside New Orleans pelicans last season. This is perhaps the simplest explanation: the Lakers did not consider Randle in their long-term plans, or the two parties were far apart in contract negotiations and negotiations. the team decided to move on. They may have signed Rondo to serve as a backup veteran at Ball.

Still, the Lakers have added a number of players who do not seem to fit in well with James, who has often played at his best with shooters surrounding him. Players like Rondo and Stephenson will not provide much floor space.

Unsurprisingly, the movements of the team since James' landing have been baffled on the Internet:

Still, according to Shelburne "As one might expect, it was said that the Lakers are damn sure that LeBron agrees with all that They are doing right now Communication is already strong between them. "

And the Lakers should be upgraded defensively next season, as ESPN.com's suggested Ohm Youngmisuk:

As for Randle, the 23-year-old is now one of the most intriguing players remaining on the market. He averaged 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game last season, while managing a record 55.8 percent on the field. Randle should be able to help any team on which he would land like a small ball 5 or a blues 4.