“I don’t know (where I fit in at the Lakers) I went with what they wanted,” said Deng who only played in the opening game of the 2017/18 season.
NBA Rumor: Luol Deng Trade?
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Luol Deng: “There has been a lot of talk. Me not playing was not my call. This is an organisational decision. People can say whatever they want to say I respected what they were telling me. Throughout the year I tried to play and every time they said they wanted to play the young guys, so that’s their direction.”
Luol Deng: “I don’t know what’s going on now, hopefully soon I will know, I would like to know the answers. “I know the level I can play at and the decision is something they came up with, whatever the criticism or the plan is, none of it was my decision, people need to understand that. They can say whatever they want, I know I can play the game, they see me at practice every day. If it was a game thing then come out and say it, but the honest truth, it’s the decision they made.”
Albert Nahmad: Lakers, after renouncing Julius Randle and giving Rajon Rondo his 1-year, $9M deal, have $5.7M of cap room remaining. Stretching Luol Deng this summer would add $9.8M. Trading him adds $17.2M. Up to $22.8M total.
Lakers standing pat at trade deadline?
As the Los Angeles Lakers become more realistic about the franchise’s chances of snaring superstars in the free agent class of 2018, the front office is increasingly looking through a longer lens in its team building process, league sources told ESPN. The Lakers aren’t abandoning a summer pursuit of stars, but rather recalibrating on the possibility of a 2019 class that could include San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard, Golden State’s Klay Thompson and Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler, league sources told ESPN.
Randle will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Clarkson is owed $25.9 million over the next two seasons. The Lakers have listened to offers or explored trades for both players that included first or second round picks, but sources indicate that none of those deals would save significant cap space for the future, thereby negating the initial reason for exploring trades for those players.
While the Lakers could still move either or both players before Thursday’s trade deadline, one league source put the chances of a meaningful trade at “50-50 at best.” If the Lakers were to move Clarkson or Randle either now or at the draft, and find a resolution to the $36.8 million remaining on Luol Deng’s albatross contract — likely via the waive-and-stretch provision — the Lakers could create $60 million in salary cap space in July of 2019. Nevertheless, if the Lakers sit out free agency this summer, they’ll try to use their salary cap space to accommodate teams looking to dump bad contracts — and willing to send draft picks to sweeten the deal, sources said.
When the Lakers practice, he practices. He shoots around at shootarounds and often lingers on the court after the team bus leaves, hanging behind to get in work with the rest of the team’s inactives. When the games begin, however, Luol Deng never leaves the locker room. Such is the peculiar nature of Deng’s 14th NBA season. The Lakers are paying him $18 million and he has seen exactly 13 minutes and 8 seconds of game action. Back at the United Center on Friday, Deng was surrounded in his corner of the visitors’ locker room by reporters. “It’s been hard,” he said. “It’s not easy not to play, but at the end of the day I’m trying to control what I can control. I’m still there with the team, I’m at practices, I’m trying to help the young guys as much as I can. For me, I would love to play. I don’t know if it will be here to be honest with you.”
Luol Deng said in November that he had asked the Lakers either for a trade or to buy him out of the two years remaining on his contract. He said Friday he is still hopeful for a resolution before the end of the season. In preliminary trade talks, teams have only shown a willingness to absorb the $36 million remaining on Deng’s deal if Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball is included in the deal. The Lakers are not budging. Neither is Deng. “They’ve made it clear that I’m not wanted here,” he said “so for me I’ve just got to focus on what I got to control.”
Will the Lakers reach their goal in terms of trading Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and/or Luol Deng to create the salary-cap room needed to sign to two max players in the summer before the trade deadline? Deven Parikh, Buffalo, NY STEIN: If the Lakers have to do all that before the Feb. 8 deadline to win your approval, then I don’t foresee a joyous Valentine’s Day for you. But the reality is that they have until the end of June to make all the moves they need to make. Deng will almost certainly have to be waived and stretched; there’s just no trade market for him. But takers for Randle and Clarkson will emerge. The expectation remains that it’s certainly going to cost the Lakers some attached draft compensation to move one or both of those guys, but they’re quality players and suitors will materialize. (And, no, dear readers: It is NOT an accident that I answered a question from a Buffalonian first!)
Sources close to the situation caution that the Lakers would rather not trade Nance, Jr., but in order to move off the contract money they are trying to shed, it will take inducement, and Nance seems to be that. The Lakers have thoroughly explored ways to trade forward Luol Deng and have found almost no interest in a deal that wouldn’t include mortgaging their future first round picks, which is something the Lakers do not seem open to doing.
Larry Nance Jr. on the block?
The Lakers have made it clear that Clarkson, Julius Randle and Larry Nance are available. Los Angeles has given up hope of unloading Luol Deng’s contract in a trade, because it would simply necessitate attaching too many draft assets.
The Mavericks do have a bunch of ending contracts and have routinely been linked in NBA circles to the LA Lakers as a possible destination for Luol Deng. The prevailing thought is if the Lakers packed in Julius Randell and a future first-round pick, the Mavericks might have the right combination of ending contracts to get the Lakers where they want to be next summer. League sources said there had been zero talks about a Deng deal with the Mavericks, but history has shown the Mavericks don’t have much issue trading within Conference. If the return is right for the Mavericks, they have in the past been open to helping another team shed cap money if it’s in their favor, which makes them a team to watch at the deadline.
Lakers give up on trading Luol Deng?
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported during an appearance on ESPN that the Lakers have “given up” on trading Deng. That’s because the team refuses to throw in a first-round pick with any deal, nor do they want to include a young player like Kyle Kuzma in a deal get gets Deng off the books. “You talk to teams around the league, no one is bailing the Lakers out with Deng’s contract,” Wojnarowski said. “They’re not. Teams have asked for multiple first-round picks. They’ve asked for Brandon Ingram. They’ll ask for Kyle Kuzma. The Lakers have essentially given up on the idea that they can trade Deng.”
Unlike the Mozgov trade that cost L.A. former No. 2 pick D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers will not take that approach with Deng. Sources close to the team told ESPN that they will not attach a first-round pick to the Deng contract to shed his salary. Starting in 2019, the Lakers will be in control of their own first-round picks (the 2018 first is owed to Philly or Boston) and attaching multiple firsts to shed Deng’s contract would be reckless.
As ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne recently reported, Deng would welcome a move out of Los Angeles since he’s well outside of head coach Luke Walton’s rotation. If up to 10 franchises have the cap space necessary to take on Deng’s contract, what kind of price would the Lakers have to pay to make a deal? “I would say a [first-round pick] with a good chance to convey in the lottery,” said an executive with another franchise. “I would say that’s in addition to Julius Randle unless the protections were very favorable to the receiving team.”
No trade market for Luol Deng?
Luol Deng wants out of Los Angeles, but the Lakers are unlikely to offer a buyout and a team source described the trade market for Deng as “non-existent currently.” One year after signing a four-year, $72 million contract to join the Lakers, the veteran forward told ESPN that he and his agent have discussed a buyout with the Lakers, as well as trade
It is a vastly different role than the one he said he envisioned coming into his 14th NBA season, and an even bigger departure from what he anticipated when he originally signed with the Lakers in 2016. “I knew we were going to develop,” Deng said, “but one thing that I knew for sure was I was going to be part of it. And it wasn’t (just) ‘part of it’ by talking. What I was told and what I wanted to be was to play and help on and off the court. Not just off the court.”
A buyout is only likely if Deng is willing to renegotiate his contract for less than the $18 million per year he is owed through 2020. “I’m not going to sit here and say I want this and I want that,” Deng said. “That’s nobody’s business. I think for me just what’s the best thing that’s going happen for both sides, whether it’s a trade that’s going to happen, we’ll see. “If it’s a buyout then that’s what it is. I’m not here to say I favor this and I favor that.”
Darren Wolfson: Told (Luol Deng) remains a fan of Thibs. They made him a 3-year offer (3rd year not a full guarantee) summer 2016, so clear #AllEyesNorth like some.
Deng said he and his agent, Jeff Austin from Octagon sports, have been working with the Lakers to find a resolution to the situation — either via trade or buyout — but he understands it may take weeks, months or even years to settle as he has two years and $26 million remaining on his contract after this year. A Lakers source confirmed that the team has met with Deng’s representatives to find a solution — via trade or buyout — that would allow him the opportunity to play more.
“You just never know. It could be a month, it could be a week, it could be three months,” Deng said. “I don’t want something to happen and I’m called upon but my shape holds me back. The challenge is to challenge yourself to be in better shape than if I was playing. Then if I fall short I’m still in good shape.”
Walton and Deng both said they’ve had several discussions last year and again this year about the situation. Walton told ESPN that his message to Deng has been, “We have a really young group that we’re trying to grow together and get as much opportunity as possible. I know that that’s not obviously the ideal situation for you or what you signed up for; I have compassion for that.”
The Lakers, if they deal Julius Randle in addition to D’Angelo Russell, could end up without at least two of their high draft picks to squeeze out two max salary slots next summer; they dangled an unprotected first-round pick in front of every team with cap room to dump one of the toxic Timofey Mozgov/Luol Deng deals, sources say, and finding no takers, finally flipped Russell and Mozgov to Brooklyn. (Good job, Nets!)
Adrian Wojnarowski: For now, LA resisting salary dumps on Mozgov or Deng needed to clear future space. Teams trying to snag pick/young player to absorb deals.
As the trade deadline approaches, we’ll hear more about the possibility of moving starting shooting guard Nick Young and super-sub Louis Williams. Of course, the Lakers will listen to any and all offers for Mozgov and Deng, though they shouldn’t expect to hear any unless they are willing to package them with one of their younger players such as Ivica Zubac, Larry Nance Jr. or one of the three former lottery picks.
If Thibodeau was open to a reunion with Deng, perhaps he’d be willing to give up a player like Shabazz Muhammad, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. To match salaries, the ‘Wolves would need to send the Lakers a player like Nikola Pekovic, who is out for the season with an ankle injury.
Expect the volume to keep rising on questions about Luol Deng and where he fits with this team. In the first year of a four-year, $72 million deal, Deng is shooting 33 percent from the field and struggling to find his niche among all the Lakers’ youth and pace. Who knows what sort of market would await the Lakers even if they tried to trade him, but the topic seems unlikely to fade.
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report: “Tom Thibodeau is not exactly a paragon of patience, which is why league sources expect that he is only a few more losses away from dealing one of his young stars for a veteran who can help him win now. His first look will be for a player he already knows and trusts because he’s already had that player in his system. Would the Lakers consider advancing their youth movement and dealing former Bull Luol Deng? Would the Bulls consider parting with Jimmy Butler or Taj Gibson? Where Thibs looks is not certain, nor is who he’d be willing to move. But those in the league who know his hunger to win and win now are convinced he will begin calling around soon, if he hasn’t already.”
Jeff Zillgitt: NBA front-office execs have been led to believe Luol Deng is (or was) available. Deng in final year of contract. twitter.com/EthanJSkolnick…
June 9, 2024 | 11:20 pm EDT Update
Jason Kidd on Derrick White's block on PJ Washington: 'It looked like a foul'
Mike Curtis: Jason Kidd on Derrick White’s block on PJ Washington: “It looked like a foul, but it wasn’t called so it wasn’t a foul.”
Mike Curtis: Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic accepting blame for tonight’s loss: “It’s not all on him. We win as a team and we lose as a team….We gotta find someone to score besides Luka and Kai.”
Mike Curtis: Jason Kidd: “We’re positive. Boston held serve and now we have to go home and hold serve.”
ClutchPoints: “The end of the day, the job’s not done.” Jrue Holiday channeled his inner Kobe Bryant as the Celtics go up 2-0 on the Mavs in the Finals 🗣️ (via @danield1214) pic.twitter.com/W55uvDXoxg
Souichi Terada: Kristaps Porzingis: “I feel good. Feeling good. I don’t think it’s anything serious. But we’ll look at it tomorrow and go from there. But all good.”
Souichi Terada: Kristaps Porzingis: “Obviously something happened. But have a couple days again. Believe me, will do everything we can for me to be back. … I will die out there.”
June 9, 2024 | 11:10 pm EDT Update
Luka Doncic: My turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game
Mike Curtis: Luka Doncic: “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game… At the end of the day, we have to make shots.”
Mike Curtis: Luka Doncic on what the Mavs can do at home to have a better outcome: “Score more points. At the end of the day, it’s basketball.”
Mike Curtis: Luka Doncic said he thinks his chest injury was a result of a charge. He said he didn’t feel it until the next day.
