Wild trade rumors have emerged that a potential Julius Randle-Nikola Mirotic swap between the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls could happen as Luke Walton "prefers" Larry Nance Jr. over Randle at the starting power forward spot.
Trade rumors involving Randle, the seventh overall pick of the 2014 draft, had been ringing since last summer when he was mentioned in a blockbuster deal that included the Sacramento Kings' DeMarcus Cousins.
The trade never materialized and throughout last season, Randle tried to prove that he belongs to the Purple and Gold squad. In his actual first season in the league, he managed to average a double-double of 11.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 28.2 minutes per game which is quite impressive for a virtual rookie.
However, Morning News USA noted that Randle was "arguably the worst defensive player in the league among all forwards" last season as he was also "shown in poor light by all advanced metrics - both on offense and defense".
This led to the rumor that new head coach Walton is more satisfied about the all-around performance of Nance Jr. during trainings and could opt to make him the team's starter at number four instead of Randle.
"He's (Nance) a great passer. He has phenomenal hands on the defensive end. And he always seems to be in the right place. He's looking to make the right play before he's looking to score 20 (points)," Walton said in a recent post-practice interview. "That's something you need on your team. He's a guy that makes those little plays that don't end up on stat sheets all day long that make you end up winning the game."
With Walton expected to implement a Golden State-type system this coming season, a player like Nance Jr. is said to be more fitting than an error-prone and low percentage shooter like Randle.
Meanwhile, Chat Sports Net reported that the Lakers might offer Randle to the Bulls in exchange for Nikola Mirotic, who is also a better fit to Walton's high-octane, space-relying system.
It remains to be seen, though, whether Chicago would be willing to give up Mirotic especially now that the team is short on frontcourt players after the exits of veteran big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah in the summer.
