Report: Julius Randle very unlikely to remain with Lakers long-term

After D’Angelo Russell was sent packing last summer, another member of the LA Lakers’ young core could soon be following suit.

Before the Lakers played the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said that fourth-year big Julius Randle, who will be a restricted free agent this offseason, is “very unlikely” to remain with the team long-term.

Pre-game comments tonight from @wojespn who says it's "very unlikely" Julius Randle has a future with the Lakers pic.twitter.com/QuSg9LXxES

— Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) November 9, 2017

Randle, 22, has been limited to 18.8 minutes per game this season and seems to be an odd man out in coach Luke Walton’s rotation. It makes little sense because the former No. 7 pick is posting the best per-36-minute production of his career and is shooting a magnificent 61.4 percent from the field. Yet even after the recent injury to Larry Nance Jr, Randle still finds himself somewhat buried on the depth chart, which may only be amplifiying his frustration.