Lakers Trade Rumors: Orlando Eyeing Deng, Nance in Offseason
A leaked photo shows a whiteboard with the names of potential trade targets for the Orlando Magic, which includes Lakers’ Larry Nance Jr. and Luol Deng.
So this happened yesterday:
https://twitter.com/theScore/status/849061707536228353
This isn’t the first time the Orlando Magic have royally messed up (see: Tobias Harris trade, Victor Oladipo trade, Serge Ibaka Trade, etc.) However, this is the first time the Los Angeles Lakers have been linked to the Magic since the Dwight Howard trade in 2011.
According to the whiteboard, the Magic have apparent interest in trading for Larry Nance Jr. My guess is about 28 other teams would also like to trade for the 24-year-old, high-flying forward, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
What is surprising is Orlando’s interest in Luol Deng. Deng signed a four-year, $72 million contract with summer with the Purple and Gold that has since been dubbed as one of the worst signings of the summer, along with the signing of Timofey Mozgov.
While both players are on the wrong side of 30, Deng’s contract can still somewhat be justified on the right team. His ability to defend multiple positions and shoot from virtually anywhere on the floor makes him a valuable contributor on any team.
Unfortunately, in order to offload Deng, the Lakers will more than likely have to take on another bad contract. The obvious candidate for this trade is Bismack Biyombo, who Lakers fans coveted in free agency just a year ago.
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Like Deng, Biyombo signed a four-year, $72 million contract this past summer. Unlike Deng, however, Biyombo is only 23 years old and could offer elite shot-blocking and athleticism to a team that desperately needs it.
Despite only being 6’10”, Biyombo averages an impressive 1.1 blocks per game, the fourth-most by players under 6’10”. His contract would be just as bad, but at least there is the hope that he hasn’t reached his ceiling yet.
Other trade candidates include Evan Fournier, Mario Hezonja and Nikola Vucevic, who have all reportedly been shopped around at least once this season.
Next: 3 Important Offseason Decisions
But what do you guys think? Will Luol Deng be back on the roster next season? Could he be headed back to Florida? Let us know in the comments below!