Lakers News: Latest on Lonzo Ball Injury and Julius Randle Contract
Thursday's season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers represents a new era for the Los Angeles Lakers, headlined by the debut of point guard Lonzo Ball.
The Lakers have put their future hopes in Ball—who was an All-American in his only season at UCLA and was drafted No. 2 overall—becoming a superstar who will join the ranks of the greatest players in franchise history.
Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson has already said he expects to see Ball's jersey hanging from the rafters after his career ends.
The first order of business for Ball will be suiting up against the Clippers, which he fully intends to do after battling an ankle injury during the preseason.
"No, I'm playing," Ball said Tuesday (via ESPN's Law Murray). "For sure."
Murray noted Ball was able to go through a full practice on Monday before declaring himself ready to go for the Lakers' first game of the season.
Ball did note during his practice that he wasn't playing up to his usual standards because of all the time he missed after injuring his ankle on Oct. 2.
"Definitely a little rusty," Ball agreed. "I had a lot of turnovers today. But like I said, as long as I'm ready for Thursday, that's all that matters. ... My wind is not that bad to be honest. ... A couple of passes I usually make were short today. But I'll be ready for Thursday."
Lakers fans are searching for any kind of hope right now. The franchise has lost at least 55 games in each of the past four seasons, and last year's team finished in the bottom 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency, per Basketball Reference.
Ball alone won't be enough to make the Lakers relevant in the Western Conference, but at least he gives them a legitimate reason to be happy about the future for the first time since Kobe Bryant was at his peak.
Julius Randle Doesn't Receive New Deal
One player who figures to be a piece of the Lakers' future with Ball is Julius Randle, though his contract situation has become a lot more complicated.
The deadline for Randle to sign an extension with the Lakers passed Monday, with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne noting the two sides had "cordial conversations but everyone understands cap space issue."
Randle can still receive a qualifying offer for the 2018-19 season worth $5.5 million, per Spotrac, and could end up signing an extension next summer.
The No. 7 overall pick in 2014, Randle has improved in each of his first three NBA seasons. He averaged a career-high 13.2 points and shot a career-best 48.8 percent from the field.
Los Angeles has seemingly been building toward the summer of 2018 for years. The free-agent class next summer could include stars like Chris Paul, Paul George, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan.
The group did lose some of its luster after Russell Westbrook and Andrew Wiggins signed contract extensions with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively.
The Lakers will have almost $63 million in salary coming off their books after this season, per HoopsHype. Unfortunately, the NBA's salary-cap rise has slowed down with a $102 million cap for 2017-18 after projections originally estimated it at $107 million, per Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported the current cap projection for next season is $103 million. The Lakers only have $41 million in commitments for 2018-19, so they will still be able to sign at least one of those marquee free agents.
The bigger picture for the Lakers is finding enough money to keep their young core of talent, including Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram, together and add an outside superstar.
As a rookie, Ball's contract gives the Lakers four years before they have to worry about extending him.
Randle could play himself into a massive payday if he continues to get better, either forcing the Lakers to disregard their cap concerns from this summer or negotiating with another team next summer.
There's still plenty of money being thrown around in the NBA, so Randle is in an excellent position to cash in from some team very soon.
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