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With the emergence of Kyle Kuzma and Larry Nance Jr., the purple and gold are running out of minutes to share in their front court – and who is the party affected the most by this? Julius Randle. It’s not that Randle isn’t a good player, he is. The problem is that Nance and Kuzma fit in better with what the Lakers are doing. Randle has been involved in a number of rumours this season, and it appears that neither side want to negotiate another contract for next season.
Jordan Clarkson is another name that has been floated out by the Lakers brass. Despite the fact that Clarkson has arguably been the best Laker in the post-Kobe era, the team seems ready to move on. Despite this, Clarkson is still young and possess the perfect skill-set for modern NBA teams, and a team like the Raptors could use his length and versatility on both ends of the floor.
But who would the Raptors move in order to add the LA duo? As much as it pains me to say this, Jonas Valanciunas would likely be the only possible chip. JV has had a short but good career in Toronto. Unfortunately, Toronto’s guard heavy offense has often rendered his abilities obsolete. JV could use a change of scenery and being integrated into a new offense with a pass-first guard like Lonzo Ball could help the Lithuanian big-man showcase his talents a little more so.