Houston Rockets should look into Luol Deng if bought out

After going through a tumultuous year and a half with the Los Angeles Lakers, a potential buyout between the 16-time NBA champions and Luol Deng appears to be imminent within the near future, as he recently expressed that he wants out of Tinseltown earlier this month. Is there a possibility that the two-time All-Star could join the Houston Rockets?

In an offseason that featured nearly every free agent agreeing to terms on massive contracts, Luol Deng signed a four-year, $72 million contract to join the Los Angeles Lakers, prior to the start of the 2016-17 regular season.

Now, things appear to have quickly changed, as the 32-year-old small forward — who was once brought into play alongside a predominantly young roster and serve as a veteran leader in the  Lakers locker room — has fallen through the cracks of the rotation to the likes of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

Deng’s minutes have been cut significantly, leading to the two-time All-Star spending the majority of his time on the inactive list this season. Deng recently indicated that he is in search for a potential ticket out of Tinseltown.

"“It definitely hurts,” Deng stated to ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne shortly after a Lakers practice earlier this month. “But the only answer now is to prove myself away from L.A. I’m not asked to play, I’m not in the rotation, so I can’t prove myself here.”“I know I make a lot of money, but for me — I came from nothing, so it’s always been about a love for the game. I’ve always given it everything.”"

Deng, who has not played a single minute of action since opening night, has been working closely with his agent Jeff Austin to get the Lakers to facilitate a potential trade over the last few weeks. However, it is more likely that the two sides agree to a buyout within the near future due to the obstacles that Los Angeles faces to dump off Deng’s current contract.

Should this happen, it would make sense for the Houston Rockets to inquire about his services via free agency, and use the team’s final roster spot to acquire a piece who is seeking to prove that he still has something left in the tank at a much lower price.

Over the years, Deng has developed a reputation for being known as a defensive-minded player and shown the ability to provide a huge spark to his respective teams in the postseason. This makes him quite the ideal fit in Clutch City, as Deng could prove to be the missing link that helps the Rockets get over the hump against the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference.

Despite having a down year with the Lakers last season, Deng managed to average 13.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game through 14 games in a deep playoff run with the Miami Heat two seasons ago. He shot over 47.1 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc, all while primarily playing at the 4- and 5-spots following the loss of Hassan Whiteside in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors.

At 6’9″, Deng already stands taller than most of the Rockets’ current wings, and could help provide the team’s current second unit with some length when opponents seek to play small. Plus, he could defend all 4-5 positions on the floor for Houston, something that could prove to be vital. Even if he failed to contribute on the offensive end, Deng would be surrounded by a bevy of talented shooters who are more than capable of picking up the slack in the 3-point department.

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The Rockets currently boast the second-best record in the league behind the Boston Celtics with a 16-4 record heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. While it is safe to say that they are indeed a legitimate contender, acquiring Deng would only help to provide Houston with arguably its deepest and most versatile team in recent memory, putting themselves one step closer towards achieving their ultimate goal.