Lakers Trade Rumors: Mavericks plan to pursue Julius Randle before the trade deadline

With the NBA trade deadline just over a week away, trade rumors are expected to pick up around the league and the Los Angeles Lakers will almost certainly be involved in several of them, as they historically have been.

One of the names to watch as the deadline inches closer is Julius Randle, who has reportedly been on the block since before the start of the season. According to Adrian Wojnarowksi of ESPN, the Lakers have “made it clear” Randle, along with Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, are all available in trade talks.

Randle will be a restricted free agents at the season’s end, so his market is tough to gauge, but there are reportedly teams calling about him, including his hometown Dallas Mavericks.

According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, the Mavericks are expected to “focus efforts in the coming days” on putting a package together for Randle.

This isn’t the first time Randle and the Mavericks have been linked. Kyler mentioned the Mavericks as a possible destination for Randle earlier in the season, saying Dallas has the necessary expiring contracts to engage in trade talks with the Lakers.

However, before the two sides met earlier this season, Randle brushed off the trade rumors and said his focus remains in Los Angeles.

“Whatever happens, happens,” he told Dallas Morning News. “At the end of the day, I can only control what the player can control — and that’s my energy and effort going out there, being a professional.

”Dallas is my hometown. Obviously, I love the city of Dallas. But right now I’m an L.A. Laker.”

The Mavericks have until Feb. 8 to put together a package worthwhile for the 23-year-old forward. If Randle makes it past the deadline, the Lakers are expected to re-sign him in the summer, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks.