The Dallas Mavericks could give the Los Angeles Lakers their escape from Luol Deng’s horrid contract. Here’s what a potential trade proposal may look like.
For what seems like an eternity now, the Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to unload Luol Deng and his albatross of a contract. Owed $18 million annually over the next three seasons (including the current one), it’s easy to understand why they’ve failed to find a taker.
Well, as it so happens, rumors suggest a potential suitor could soon emerge.
According to Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler, the Dallas Mavericks may be a perfect fit.
"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 Randle 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."
Now we do have to keep a couple of things in mind here.
First, there’s a decent chance the Lakers and Mavericks have already talked about this scenario. Magic Johnson has been adamant about trading Deng since taking the reins in LA, and I’m sure he’s made plenty of calls along the way. I don’t doubt Donnie Nelson’s number has been dialed at least once during that process.
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The other thing to note is that, not long ago, a report emerged stating that the Lakers and Mavericks had discussed a Julius Randle-Nerlens Noel swap (via ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski). Obviously that didn’t come to fruition, but there could have been more to those trade talks. Maybe Deng was mentioned as a throw-in, and Dallas didn’t bite. Or maybe both sides just wanted more time to weigh their options.
Either way, there could be interest between the two parties to strike a deal. Whether that includes Deng is still to be determined. For the purposes of this piece, though, I’m entertaining the idea that the Mavericks would be willing to take on his contract for the right price, as Kyler suggested.
So here’s my idea for a trade proposal that could get this thing done:
Clearly the Lakers have interest in Noel, and the Mavericks appear ready to move on. He gives them a young center with elite rim protection skills, something they currently lack. I’d be a bit concerned about his own impending contract situation (he’s a free agent this offseason), but that can be tabled for now. Josh McRoberts has an expiring contract, so that doesn’t hinder the Lakers’ financial flexibility moving forward.
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Los Angeles then sends back Randle, who they’ve been trying to trade with his contract expiring soon. Deng is finally off the books, giving Johnson the spending power he needs to land two superstars in 2018. Parting with the 2020 first round pick isn’t ideal, but it’s the price you pay to get rid of one of the worst contracts in the NBA.
How does this affect the Mavericks? Noel doesn’t appear to be part of the long-term plan anymore, so no pain felt there. McRoberts has been a non-factor, so they’ll be fine without him. Landing Randle gives them another legitimate frontcourt threat, and what rebuilding franchise doesn’t want more draft assets?
The Mavericks’ only real loss here is cap space for the next two seasons.
When you look at it objectively, it’s a win-win for both clubs. The more important thing for Los Angeles is getting a deal done soon. Other teams will have more leverage after the deadline, so there’s an incentive to act fast.
With the 2018 NBA trade deadline just over a month away, it’s anyone’s guess what could happen. These two parties could talk, determine it’s not a good fit, and go their separate. At the same time, a deal could materialize if the Lakers are willing to make some sacrifices.
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Either way, it’s a situation worth watching as we inch closer to Feb. 8.