Luol Deng Agrees To 4-Year, $72 Million Deal With Los Angeles Lakers
Free agent forward Luol Deng has agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $72 million deal. Here’s a look at what Deng brings to the table for the Lakers.
After a rough start to free agency, Los Angeles Lakers fans were left scratching their heads at the moves their front office was making.
While most agreed that the re-signing of Jordan Clarkson was crucial, no one could’ve seen the Lakers agreeing to pay mediocre center Timofey Mozgov $64 million over four years coming as the roars of disappointment and utter disbelief show.
Timofey Mozgov will be paid way more than Stephen Curry in the 2016-17 season.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) July 1, 2016
Let that sink in.
Following that controversial signing, the Lakers turned their sights to adding a veteran small forward to help lighten the load for newly added rookie Brandon Ingram. With the likes of Evan Turner, Nicolas Batum and Kent Bazemore off the board, the team turned to a veteran forward capable of affecting every facet of the game.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Lakers have agreed to a four-year, $72 million deal with journeyman forward Luol Deng.
Free agent Luol Deng has reached agreement on a four-year, $72 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2016
Deng is coming off of a season where he definitely boosted his value with the Miami Heat, spending major minutes at power forward in Chris Bosh‘s absence and posting a loaded stat line of 15.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals on 48.4 percent shooting after the All-Star break.
However, with Pat Riley and company trying to retain both Dwyane Wade and Hassan Whiteside, while also trying to make a run at the top free agent in Kevin Durant, there was little to no money left to offer Deng, allowing the Lakers to swoop in and nab him.
With former Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton now at the helm in Hollywood, you have to imagine that in Luol Deng, he saw a player capable of filling the role that Andre Iguodala does in Steve Kerr‘s system.
In addition, Deng is an efficient scorer who has shot over 45 percent from the field seven times in his 13-year career and has long been one of the premier 3-and-D players in the league.
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Like Iguodala, Deng can provide multiple things as the first guy off of the bench. He has the passing prowess to help facilitate the offense of the second unit and is more than capable of putting the ball in the basket, either off of the dribble or as a spot-up shooter. Even more valuable is the defensive impact he brings to a team that had the fourth worst scoring defense in the league last season.
Deng’s versatility will also be key for the Lakers as it will help them to somewhat replicate the Warriors’ style of play with small-ball lineups where the 31-year-old will be asked to play some minutes at the 4 with Julius Randle potentially at the 5. The team can also insert him into the starting lineup in certain matchups to give them a different look on both ends of the floor and allow them to play faster.
The veteran Deng can also serve as a mentor to Ingram as he has tremendous experience and defensive acumen that he can impart to a young forward with tons of two-way potential.
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The Lakers are out to add veteran presence that fits into Luke Walton’s somewhat Golden State-like system, and Deng is a great fit in both of those aspects. Look for him to have a major impact for the purple and gold on both ends of the floor.