Although Luol Deng is certainly not in the Los Angeles Lakers’ future plans, the team knows that trading him before the deadline was bound to be impossible.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luol Deng is earning over $17 million this season. Nonetheless, due to how the 2017-2018 campaign has turned out for Deng, words such as “earning” are questionable.
Deng has barely seen action on the court this season. Outside of the Lakers’ very first game, the small forward has not been given another opportunity by head coach Luke Walton.
That being said, why he remains with the team seems enigmatic. However, take another look at the money he is making this season alone. Bear in mind that he is set to make over $36 million the next two years as well. That explains the reticence of the other 29 teams in the league to take on such a contract.
It is not as if the Lakers did not try to dump his albatross of a contract earlier this season. In fact, the team explored a variety of options for the Sudanese product.
His contract is simply that bad. Furthermore, many teams likely insinuate that due to the way the Deng situation has been handled, he is a hollow shell of his former self.
Certainly, to a degree, it seems unfair. Some may wonder how one is supposed to prove himself if he is not given a chance.
When his numbers from last year are thought about, though, things start to add up. In 2016-2017, Deng only averaged 7.6 points, a career low.
A few days back, the current predicament with Deng reached new heights. When asked about trade talk entailing Deng, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson could not shy away from laughing. Via a tweet from Shahan Ahmed of NBC LA, this is how Magic reacted.
Magic Johnson was asked by @billoram if there were any substantive conversations about Luol Deng during the trade deadline, and his initial response is AMAZING! #LakeShow #Lakers pic.twitter.com/IWNU76YGx0
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) February 8, 2018
Such an initial reaction seems rather harsh. Despite that, it shows how awful Deng’s contract really is.
Larry Brown of Larry Brown Sports recently noted that center Timofey Mozgov was not necessarily easy to move for similar reasons. However, he was eventually once D’Angelo Russell was added as a sweetener. It reveals that L.A. was not willing to make yet another sacrifice this time around.
Los Angeles Lakers
Bill Oram of The Orange County Register reported last month that teams would only accept Deng’s contract on one condition. The condition was that Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, or Lonzo Ball would have to be part of a package.
All three of those players are still representing the purple and gold. Of course, the same rings true in terms of Deng.
Via Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp, the Lakers’ unwillingness to meet this condition led to them giving up on the idea of trading Deng. It makes total sense, though, that the team was not willing to part with more of their young core. Those three appear to be in the Lakers’ plans for the long haul.
A couple fragments from their young core were already let go of recently in Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. That took sacrifice in itself. However, because of the Lakers’ desire to free up cap space, such a decision become a necessary one for the organization.
In late January, the 32-year-old veteran admitted to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk that not playing has taken a toll on him.
"“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. Just keep working on my game and see the only way I could ever answer to anything like this is by my game, not by my words.”"
In spite of the circumstances, Deng has dealt with this blow by keeping himself active. The Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke explained Deng’s routine once the rest of the team hits the court.
"When the Lakers run out for the game, their Nowhere Man retires to a training room to pretend.Deng watches the game on television and imitates its flow. When there’s action, he runs on a treadmill. When there’s a timeout, he stops. When the whistle blows, he runs again. When the Lakers are playing defense, he slides his feet as if playing imaginary defense."
Once his teammates walk back into the locker room, Deng quietly leaves the arena.
On account of this, it is easy to scratch the head in utter confusion. Even if Deng is not the guy he used to be, he is still a human being.
Granted Deng does not enjoy the situation, he has not moaned about it. Not even once. Guys such as Lonzo’s father have certainly been bigger distractions this year. However, let’s not get into that right now.
It demonstrates Luol’s professionalism. As a 14-year veteran, he is truly rolling with the punches in every sense of the word.
He could easily just be cashing his paychecks and be living a life separate from the team. Conversely, he has done anything but that.
He has not rid himself of living a basketball-oriented life granted the Lakers have essentially rid themselves of him. Deng continues to show up to be an example for the rest of his teammates.
Ahmed wrote earlier in the year about Deng’s presence in the locker room. Albeit he is not getting minutes, he has helped the younger assets on various occasions.
"“If you come to any of our shootarounds, any of our practices, he’s out there with our young guys afterwards working,” Walton said about the forward. “He’s running. He’s staying in shape. So, he’s been a complete professional about it. He’s been helpful around the locker room.”"
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With that out there, Deng perhaps deserves some credit. He could easily be hanging his head down. On the other hand, he is keeping it held high. The fact that he is chipping in as a mentor is admirable.
Notwithstanding that truth, Deng’s presence means that he is still filling up a roster spot. If he was not a Laker, the team would be in an even better position right now.
He is getting paid quite a lot to not be participating in actual games. While it is nice that he has been helpful and punctual, being frustrated is understandable. The last guys running the team’s front office put the team in a not so gnarly position.
It is not like the purple and gold are totally doomed. Options such as using the stretch provision on him are possible. This would allow L.A. to pay him less money per year over a longer period of time.
Moreover, the benchwarmer’s contract could be bought out as well. This would surely make it easier to sign a big name or two in the time to come.
Next: 10 Greatest Free Agent Signings In Lakers History
For the moment, the Los Angeles Lakers are stuck with Deng. In a perfect world, one can only hope that this mess revolving around the former All-Star can be cleaned up as soon as possible. Doing so would make things tremendously better for both parties.