NBA Rumors 2018: Brook Lopez and Julius Randle Weren’t Re-Signed Due to Playing-Time Demands the LA Lakers Can’t Meet?

Brook Lopez and Julius Randle have both played key roles as center players during the rebuilding years of the Los Angeles Lakers. However, the organization surprisingly made not much effort to bring them back for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) season 2018-19 as the free agency opened this year.

Lopez played for a year with the Lakers. In season 2017-18, his average minutes played per game was at 23.4. On the other hand, Randle had been with the Lakers since season 2014-15 but only significantly played as the big man in his last year with the Lakers. In season 2017-18, Randle played an average of 26.7 minutes per game.

However, with the latest updates now, the L.A. Lakers evidently chose to surround James with a much younger roster. Meanwhile, Brook Lopez eventually signed with the Milwaukee Bucks while Julius Randle went to the New Orleans Pelicans.

According to Bleacher Report, an executive of the L.A. Lakers chose to renounce Julius Randle's contract with them and did not re-sign Brook Lopez because they were reportedly “expecting significant minutes.” As made obvious by their decisions with regards to the NBA free agency this year, the L.A. Lakers were purportedly “more interested” to build their team with the young, athletic team they have along with their next obvious star, LeBron James.

Both Brook Lopez and Julius Randle have also contributed good numbers in other playing aspects which made them valuable assets for the Lakers playing in the center. With the earlier addition of LeBron James to the team, many might have thought that the defense support Randle and Lopez can provide just became more essential for the Lakers in season 2018-19.

James’ basketball IQ and skills are unquestionably some of the best to ever grace the NBA courts. But just how much his new team — without Brook Lopez and Julius Randle — will rely on him offensively and defensively remains to be seen.

If there is one thing certain, James will be needing all the on-court support he can get from his teammates. More importantly, James will certainly be more effective offensively if a well-performing center player is with him on court putting the needed pressure on the defense.

The same Bleacher Report also noted that the Golden State Warriors — the L.A. Lakers’ biggest challenge — performs so well with their center Draymond Green. Even though Green can evidently make buckets, he also has many great teammates who consistently generate scores for the Warriors. In effect, Green can focus more on his defensive duties for the team.