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

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 2: Luol Deng NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /

2. Utah Jazz

The next potential suitor for a Luol Deng trade plays in the Western Conference along with the Lakers, as the Utah Jazz could be in the market for a shakeup to their roster. Since Gordon Hayward made the decision last summer to join the Boston Celtics, Utah has been struggling to find its identity.

Power forward Derrick Favors was selected third overall in the 2010 NBA Draft and has failed to live up to expectations since dealing with a few injury-riddled seasons. Similar to Favors, Australian point guard Dante Exum was drafted fifth overall in 2014 by Utah and has yet to prove he is capable of being a starting point guard at the highest level.

This trade would involve the Lakers sending Luol Deng and Julius Randle to Utah in exchange for Derrick Favors, Dante Exum and point guard Raul Neto. This gives the Lakers a dominant rebounding presence to make up for Brook Lopez’s lack of aggression on the boards, and Julius Randle would get a fresh start as a likely starter alongside Rudy Gobert in Utah’s frontcourt.

Perhaps the best part about this trade is that the three players the Lakers are receiving all have one-year contracts, so they will be able to erase them from their payroll at the end of this season. They could also choose to re-sign any of these players to restructured deals should they fail to land those coveted superstars in free agency.

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