Luol Deng trade rumors: 3 potential deals for the Los Angeles Lakers

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3. Phoenix Suns

The first team that seems to make sense as a trade partner for the Lakers is their Pacific Division rivals, the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix is still suffering from losing Eric Bledsoe to the Milwaukee Bucks in an ugly breakup and they were not compensated well for their star point guard.

Greg Monroe was a major piece of the trade from the Bucks to the Suns, but Phoenix and Monroe appear to lack a mutual desire for Monroe to play in Phoenix. Trade rumors about the center out of Georgetown have died down, but the Lakers could arrange an interesting package to unload Deng’s contract and get a talented player.

The Lakers would trade Luol Deng, Julius Randle and Ivica Zubac to Phoenix in exchange for Monroe and rookie point guard Mike James. Even though the Suns would have to absorb the rest of Luol Deng’s contract, they should be intrigued by Julius Randle’s improvement this season as a result of his recent body transformation.

Another benefit for the Lakers is that they clear room in their frontcourt for Monroe, Larry Nance Jr. and Kyle Kuzma to solidify their roles by trading Randle and Zubac. Mike James also adds depth to the Lakers’ struggling backcourt, as he is averaging 10.7 points per game for Phoenix this season.

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