Lakers: Will Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov Do More Harm Than Good?
By Corban Ford
The 2016-2017 LA Lakers will definitely have a new look after losing the mainstay of the past two decades
Currently, the Lakers have a young roster headlined by D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and Jordan Clarkson. These four players are all 24 and under and will be able to grow and develop together.
When surrounded by a mix of veterans, the Lakers become even more intriguing. With a good campaign this year, the Lakers can begin anew down the road of respectability. Unfortunately, there are a few concerns when looking at this roster, specifically the contracts.
How Veteran Contracts Should Be…
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Every young team needs some veterans who can share their NBA experience and still contribute while slowly ceding the heavy lifting to their younger peers. Quickly looking down the roster, there’s Jose Calderon, Marcelo Huertas, and even Nick Young, none too concerning.
All have contracts that in some way, shape, or form expire within the next two years. They can impart their veteran wisdom, contribute where they can, and then move on just as they start to seriously decline. It’s the contracts of Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng that are especially irksome.
The Negatives Behind Deng and Mozgov’s Contracts
The first question that must be answered is, what in Mozgov’s body of work demanded a multi year contract of more than two years at this stage in his career? Same for Deng for that matter.
General Manager, Mitch Kupchak’s goal should have been to let his team grow, not hinder them with the veterans they would go on to sign.
Even when they inevitably go to the bench, will they make a positive impact?
Mozgov is a plodding center in a league moving more and more to running and gunning. Deng is a serviceable piece, but he is also in a situation where he is set for a steady decline while being in a logjam with Ingram and Anthony Brown in the future. It’s definitely cause for confusion.
There were younger and further, cheaper, options for the positions of need that the Lakers could have pursued. At the center position the Lakers could have went after Bismack Biyombo, Festus Ezeli or even Ian Mahinmi.
Additionally, Alonzo Gee, or a Solomon Hill could have been brought in to do the same job as a declining Luol Deng for much less money. That said, crying over spilled milk is pointless, but it will be interesting to see just how Deng and Mozgov’s roles evolve over the course of their tenure here in LA.
In a little less than two months, the NBA season begins anew. The Lakers come in revamped in this insanely loaded Western Conference. The young ones will take the floor and start their course in NBA Life 101, and the veterans will be there to assist.
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As Lakers fans, during the offseason we may rip into our favorite franchise, but once the season starts, we back the Purple and Gold 100%, so let us hope that the summer’s acquisitions exceed expectations, which shouldn’t be too hard to do, all things considered.