Recently waived Los Angeles Lakers forward, Luol Deng, has reportedly signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. What will he bring to the team?
After being waived by the Los Angeles Lakers not too long ago, Luol Deng has quickly received another chance in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers decided to use the waive and stretch provisional on Deng, as he had one of the worst contracts going in the NBA. After a poor 2016-17 season with the Lakers, Deng played in just one game for the Lakers last season, as they clearly didn’t believe that he could help the team.
Deng was a two-time All-Star with the Chicago Bulls and was a big piece in their success during his time there. Now, Deng will be reunited with head coach Tom Thibodeau and Derrick Rose, as it appears like the band is getting back together in Minnesota.
That trio was able to accomplish a lot together in the Eastern Conference, but injuries to Rose and LeBron James being in the East ultimately resulted in them never reaching the championship. With Rose and Deng both past their primes, they certainly aren’t capable of leading a team to a championship anymore, but Thibodeau clearly still believes that they can contribute.
Free agent Luol Deng has reached agreement on a one-year, $2.4M deal with Minnesota, pending physical, per league sources.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 10, 2018
The Timberwolves certainly have a very talented roster with Karl-Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, and Jeff Teague. However, they struggled badly against the Houston Rockets in the playoffs last season.
With some potential drama between Butler and some of the younger Timberwolves, Thibodeau might be hoping that Deng can be a veteran leader. At 33-years-old now with a lot of minutes on his legs, Deng is probably nothing more than a 10-20 minute player off the bench now in a best-case scenario. However, his experience might be something that can be useful to the young Timberwolves.
While Deng might still be able to be a rotation player in the NBA, the Lakers clearly wanted to move in a new direction. By waving Deng, the Lakers will have enough cap space next season to pursue a max free agent, and there will be plenty of talented options available. Furthermore, it will be interesting to see what type of role Deng plays for the Timberwolves this coming season.