When the Los Angeles Lakers’ “two max” dreams died a sudden death within the first few minutes of free agency, it looked like Julius Randle was a near lock to return to the team that drafted him No. 7 overall in 2014. However, as time passed, it started to become more apparent that wasn’t the case.
On July 2, the Lakers renounced Randle’s rights, per his request, making him an unrestricted free agent. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Randle was disappointed the Lakers weren’t interested in making a long-term commitment to him after he spent four years with the organization.