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Before last summer, I predicted that if the Lakers only got one max free agent, they would sign Randle to a large one-year deal. They chose to spend their money on Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson instead, and Randle signed with the Pelicans.

 

Randle has a player option for $9.1 million for next season, and it's not a lock that he will opt out. If he does. the Pelicans will only have Non-Bird rights on Randle, so the most they can offer him is $10.4 million unless they use cap space to re-sign him.

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The Pelicans are unlikely to be a preferred destination for free agents, so the they may end up using their cap space to re-sign Randle to a sizeable short-term contract. However, they may prefer to use their cap space to take on bad contracts in exchange for draft picks. 

 

Randle is a bit of a polarizing player, as he can dominate offensively at times, but is a poor defender and can't stretch the floor. 

Potential Teams: Pelicans, Suns, Mavericks

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $11 million with the Pelicans

*Actual Contract: 3-year, $56.7 million ($4 million guaranteed in the final year) with the Knicks.

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Randle got almost double what I expected him to on a per-year basis, as he has some unlikely bonuses that can push his salary to $20+ million per year. While traditional counting stats may not be as important as they used to be, some players, especially young ones, can really get paid for filling the box score.

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