Lakers, Mavs reportedly talked Julius Randle trade

The Los Angeles Lakers’ efforts to clear up cap space ahead of 2018 free agency may be intensifying.

Speaking on ESPN’s “Full Court Press,” a second-screen show that aired during the network’s broadcast of the Lakers-Warriors game on Friday, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks discussed a potential Julius Randle trade. He also added that Nerlens Noel was mentioned in the talks but that Noel’s wrist injury essentially ended them.

Woj says the Lakers and Mavs had some 'initial talks' about a trade involving Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel but nothing came of it. pic.twitter.com/NITf4PTTQs

— Rob Lopez (@r0bato) December 23, 2017

The 23-year-old Randle, a Dallas native, is averaging 12.5 points and 6.3 rebounds a game for the Lakers this year. But his role has been increasingly marginalized (he played just eight minutes in a win over Houston on Wednesday), and he is not expected to remain with the team long-term.

Randle will be a restricted free agent after the season, and whether or not he gets traded before then, the Lakers seem to be leaning towards moving on.