Report: Julius Randle Going to New Orleans Thanks to Anthony Davis's Recruitment Efforts
After spending the first four years of his career with the Lakers, Julius Randle will be heading to New Orleans on a two-year, $18 million deal to play with the Pelicans, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports.
According to Wojnarowski, there is a player option for the second year of the deal, allowing Randle to test unrestricted free agency next offseason after starting this summer as a restricted free agent and then having his rights renounced by Los Angeles shortly before reportedly agreeing to a deal with New Orleans.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reports Randle asked the Lakers to renounce his rights after he recognized how his role could drastically change from the past season and it seemed like the Lakers were not interested in making a longer-term commitment to the Kentucky product. Wojnarowski also reports the recruiting efforts of fellow former Kentucky big man Anthony Davis helped close Randle's deal with New Orleans.
Randle posted career bests with 16.1 points on 55.8% shooting last season while also averaging 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists.
Shortly after renouncing Randle's rights, the Lakers reportedly agreed to a deal with Rajon Rondo as they continue to reconstruct their roster after agreeing to a contract with LeBron James.
