Luol Deng Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Western Rumors: Rozier, Williams, Durant, Rockets

September 3rd, 2018 at 5:41pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Celtics’ Terry Rozier and the Nets’ Spencer Dinwiddie are two of the logical trade targets for the Suns in their search for a point guard, according to Frank Urbina of HoopsHype. Rozier is a solid two-way player coming off a career year but the Suns would likely have to offer a package that included an unprotected first-rounder to catch Boston’s attention. A trade for Dinwiddie would be more plausible and he’d be a good fit with Phoenix considering his size, perimeter shooting and pick-and-roll prowess, Urbina continues. The Clippers’ Patrick Beverley, the Cavaliers’ George Hill and the Hornets’ Kemba Walker are some of the other names Urbina throws out as potential targets. The Suns are searching for a starting point guard after trading away Brandon Knight to the Rockets last week.

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Pelicans signed Troy Williams, Kenrich Williams and Garlon Green to partially-guaranteed contracts in the hope of finding one reliable small forward, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate notes. That trio will compete for a roster spot, though the potential addition of swingman Tyrone Wallace — signed to an offer sheet on Monday — could change that. “They just told me they’re bringing some guys in and having them go head-on to see who wins a spot,” Kenrich Williams told Kushner.
By buying out Luol Deng‘s contract and using the stretch provision, the Lakers gave themselves a chance to offer Kevin Durant a max salary in free agency, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders examines. The Lakers now project to have $38.2MM in cap space, which would be just enough to afford Durant, Pincus continues. If they can’t land Durant, they’ll certainly have enough to bring in another All-Star level talent. Other high-level potential free agents, including Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmy Butler, Walker and Kyrie Irving, could command a first-year salary of $33MM, leaving the Lakers with another $5MM to spend in other ways, Pincus adds.
The Rockets took a frugal approach this summer and it could cost them a title, Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post opines. They traded away Ryan Anderson and allowed two key wing players to walk in free agency. In turn, they signed three players on veteran’s minimum deals and adding a couple of bench players in the Anderson trade, Bontemps notes. So while Houston execs had said they were unconcerned about the luxury tax, their actions showed they wanted to save some money, Bontemps adds.

Six Possible Landing Spots For Luol Deng

September 3rd, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After two years in Los Angeles, Luol Deng finalized a buyout agreement with the Lakers over the weekend and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. While he’ll still receive most of the money left on his deal with L.A., Deng will be free to sign with a new team.

A two-time All-Star in 2012 and 2013, Deng is no longer the dynamic, game-changing player he was in his prime. However, he’s just 33 years old and showed during the NBA Africa game this summer that he still has something left in the tank. The Lakers may have chosen not to play Deng at all after last year’s season opener, but that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of contributing to an NBA team in 2018/19.

One reason Deng was willing to accept a buyout from the Lakers was his desire to get back on the court for a new club, so it will be interesting to see how he balances that appetite for regular playing time with an interest in playing for a potential contender. It’s possible there are some teams that could offer both.

As we wait to see what Deng’s future holds, here are several teams that could make sense for the veteran forward:

Minnesota Timberwolves: At least one report has already linked Deng to the Timberwolves, which comes as no surprise, given the presence of Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota. Deng’s old coach in Chicago has brought in a handful of former Bulls, including Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose, and would surely find room on the roster for Deng if he’s interested in signing with the Wolves. It doesn’t hurt that Minnesota still has a couple regular season roster spots available.
Houston Rockets: Deng was never an elite three-point shooter, so he’s not quite an ideal three-and-D wing for Houston’s system, particularly as he enters his mid-30s. Nonetheless, the veteran may appeal to a Rockets team that’s in the tax and in need of one more wing — a minimum-salary deal for Deng would be more affordable and less risky than addressing that need in a trade.
Golden State Warriors: Having entered the offseason expecting to fortify their depth on the wing, the Warriors instead spent their taxpayer mid-level exception on DeMarcus Cousins. The Dubs’ offseason work will likely be done once they re-sign restricted free agent Patrick McCaw, but if they can’t find common ground with McCaw, Deng could be an interesting alternative. Current Warriors assistant Ron Adams spent a number of seasons on the Bulls’ staff coaching Deng.
Toronto Raptors: There’s another coaching connection to Deng in Toronto, where former Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin has been hired as Nick Nurse‘s lead assistant. The Raptors have no shortage of depth at small forward, so they might not be able to guarantee Deng many minutes, but if the club plans to part ways with someone like Norman Powell or C.J. Miles to reduce its tax bill, there may be an opening here.
Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks were named last month as one of the teams that inquired about Kent Bazemore‘s availability, a signal that they’re still in the market for help on the wing. Although there have been no reports suggesting that interest would extend to someone like Deng, it’s not a stretch to imagine him as the sort of player new head coach Mike Budenholzer would appreciate.
Charlotte Hornets: A lottery team last year, the Hornets probably have more modest expectations in 2018/19 than the rest of the clubs on this list. They also have plenty of options at forward already, with guys like Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist doing many of the things Deng does. Still, they’re worth mentioning because it was their general manager, Mitch Kupchak, who originally signed Deng to that huge four-year contract with the Lakers. Even though that deal didn’t work out, Kupchak may be willing to roll the dice again at a fraction of that price.

While I view the teams listed above as the best fits for Deng, there are several more possible landing spots for him around the NBA, such as the Pelicans, Spurs, Pacers, and Heat, among others. With training camps set to get underway in about three weeks, we’ll see whether he’s on an NBA roster by then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Timberwolves Eyeing Luol Deng, Joakim Noah?

September 3rd, 2018 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

Following his buyout and release from the Lakers, Luol Deng is poised to become an unrestricted free agent today once he officially clears waivers. Early reports indicated that the veteran forward is expected to receive interest from multiple contending teams, and one of those teams figures to be the Timberwolves.

As Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), he reported earlier in the offseason that Minnesota would have interest in both Deng and Joakim Noah if they were to become available. With Deng set to become a free agent and Noah’s days in New York reportedly numbered, the Timberwolves’ presumed interest in the duo hasn’t wavered, per Krawczynski.

Although both Deng and Noah have been viewed as toxic assets in recent years due to their overpriced contracts, the two veterans have strong NBA track records. They’d look a whole lot better on one-year, minimum-salary contracts than they did on their four-year, $72MM deals.

Of course, it’s no coincidence that the Timberwolves would have interest in a pair of former Bulls. Current Wolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau has exhibited a fondness for bringing his old Chicago players to Minnesota, with Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose already on the roster.

The Wolves are also one of a small handful of teams around the NBA that could accommodate two more players on guaranteed contracts without having to trade or waive any projected roster players before opening night. Minnesota is currently carrying 12 players on guaranteed salaries, plus James Nunnally on a partially guaranteed deal, leaving two potential openings for the club’s 15-man regular season roster.

While Noah is still a Knick for now, Deng looks like a viable target for the Timberwolves. Having been unhappy about barely seeing the court in Los Angeles last season, the 33-year-old will be looking to join a team that will give him a chance to play. Given Thibodeau’s tendency to lean heavily on his starters, Deng would have to be confident he’d have an opportunity to crack the club’s rotation in order to seriously consider signing in Minnesota.

Heat Notes: Jones, Richardson, Waiters, Deng

September 2nd, 2018 at 10:23am CST by Arthur Hill

Derrick Jones looked like a star in Summer League, but it won’t be easy for him to get playing time, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel in a mailbag column. Jones was the Heat’s top scorer in the Sacramento league, averaging 21.3 points in three games, along with 7.3 rebounds. A two-way player last season, he appeared in 14 games for Miami and started eight.

Jones, a small forward who signed a two-year deal in July, faces heavy competition for minutes. Josh Richardson will start at that position, and using Jones as a backup means moving Justise Winslow to either power forward or the backcourt and the Heat are already overloaded in both areas. It may take a roster move or two for Jones to get an opportunity.

There’s more this morning out of Miami:

In the same column, Winderman tabs Richardson as the Heat player most likely to raise his game to an All-Star level in the future. Richardson became a full-time starter last year in his third NBA season and responded with a 12.9/3.5/2.9 line. The four-year, $42MM extension that Richardson agreed to last year will kick in this season, raising his salary to $9.367MM.
Fans shouldn’t expect too much from Dion Waiters in his return from injury, Winderman cautions in a separate piece. Waiters played just 30 games last year before undergoing season-ending ankle surgery in January. He should improve the team, Winderman notes, but will be competing for minutes with Richardson, Tyler Johnson and possibly Dwyane Wade.
The Heat still have little hope of finding a taker for Johnson’s contract, Winderman adds in the same story. The Nets’ offer sheet that Miami matched in 2016 starts to balloon this year, paying Johnson $19,245,370 in each of the next two seasons and giving him the second-highest salary on the team. Winderman notes that the Rockets moved Ryan Anderson‘s similar deal this week, but Anderson agreed to a substantial giveback in the final year of his contract, which Johnson doesn’t have incentive to do.
After agreeing to a buyout with the Lakers, Luol Deng is unlikely to return to Miami, tweets Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Deng would find minutes hard to come by in an already-crowded Heat rotation and wouldn’t want to risk being stuck on the bench like he was in Los Angeles. Deng spent two seasons in Miami before signing with the Lakers in 2016.

Latest On Luol Deng

September 1st, 2018 at 5:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Today’s buyout agreement with Luol Deng will provide financial benefits for the Lakers over the next two seasons. Deng agreed to forgo $7.5MM of the $36.8MM left on his contract, with 48.9% of that coming from his 2018/19 salary and the other 51.1% from his 2019/20 figure, tweets salary cap expert Larry Coon.

The reduction will drop L.A.’s commitment to Deng for the upcoming season from $18MM to about $14.3MM, adds cap expert Albert Nahmad (Twitter link). The Lakers were projected to be $4.6MM above the cap before the buyout, so the extra $3.7MM won’t allow them to sign anyone, but it gives them an easier path if they decide to operate below the cap at some point during the season.

L.A. will stretch the final season of Deng’s contract over three years, which works out to a $4.99MM cap hit annually from 2019/20 through 2021/22, posts Bobby Marks on ESPN Now. He notes that the figure would have been closer to $6.3MM a year if the Lakers had stretched Deng’s contract without the buyout. The team projects to have $36.97M in cap space next summer, enough to offer a maximum contract, according to Coon (Twitter link).

There’s more Deng-related news to pass along:

Deng was frustrated about being benched for virtually all of last season and had no desire to go through that experience again, tweets Tania Ganguli of The Los Angeles Times. Deng played 13 minutes on opening night and wasn’t used again for the rest of the season, despite being fully healthy. Comments from Lakers officials at the end of last season indicated they were willing to keep Deng on the roster, which is what motivated him to accept the buyout, Ganguli adds (Twitter link).
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka issued a statement of gratitude after Deng’s release became official this afternoon, relays Chris Haynes of ESPN. “We want to thank Luol for his time with the Lakers,” Pelinka said. “We made this move to further our future salary cap and roster flexibility, as we continue to build this Lakers team according to our current overall vision.”
The Lakers don’t have any immediate plans for filling Deng’s roster spot, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link). L.A. currently has 14 players with guaranteed contracts, along with non-guaranteed minimum deals for Jonathan Williams, Jeffrey Carroll and Joel Berry
The Timberwolves will be among the teams interested in Deng once he clears waivers, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Coach/executive Tom Thibodeau has already gathered several of his former Bulls players in Minnesota.

Lakers Buy Out, Waive Luol Deng

September 1st, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by marksuleymanov

2:09pm: Deng gave back $7.5MM on the $36.8MM left on his contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne (Twitter link). By using the waive-and-stretch provision, the Lakers will have approximately $38MM in salary cap space next summer.

1:12pm: The team has waived Deng, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

10:25am: The Lakers and forward Luol Deng have agreed to a buyout that will make the veteran a free agent, Shams Charania of The Athletic was first to report. Deng will be waived and stretched, which creates financial flexibility for Los Angeles.

Before reaching a buyout with Deng, the Lakers were projected to have $25MM in cap room for next season. However, by completing this move with Deng, that figure is expected to increase to about $36-38MM, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That creates room for a max contract next offseason for Los Angeles.

Deng, 33, had two years and $36.8MM left on the four-year, $72MM deal that he originally signed during the summer of 2016. Since inking that contract with the Lakers, Deng never settled into the team’s rotation, ultimately becoming an expensive bench player.

Per ESPN’s Chris Haynes, Deng is expected to field interest from several contending teams in free agency.

The former two-time All-Star played in 56 games his first year with the Lakers in 2016/17, averaging a career-low 7.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG. The Lakers sat Deng late in the season to evaluate its younger players, a role Deng assumed for all of the 2017/18 campaign.

Despite being healthy and able to play, Deng appeared in just one game this past season. The Lakers even made it publicly clear that they wanted to rid themselves of the albatross contract after the trade deadline in February.

“We wish, huh?” Johnson said with a laugh about whether or not the team was close to trading Deng (via The Orange County Register). “No, that didn’t happen. You want to make a move for us?”

While Deng was commended for his professionalism by Lakers brass, he insisted that his skills can still be effective on the right team. Speaking to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune in January, Deng said he can be an effective player on the court.

“That’s no question,” Deng said. “I’m not playing because I can’t play. If we’re going to go there, it is what it is. But I know I can play.”

In 14 NBA seasons, Deng wields career averages of 15.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.3 APG between the Bulls, Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers.

Community Shootaround: Luol Deng’s Future

August 30th, 2018 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

As of this coming Saturday, teams waiving a player can no longer stretch that player’s 2018/19 cap hit — only the player’s future cap charges can be stretched.

That’s an item of interest for a player like Luol Deng, who has two years and $36.81MM left on his contract with the Lakers. If he were stretched today, Deng would count against the team’s cap for $7.362MM over each of the next five years. Waiving and stretching him on Saturday would leave his 2018/19 cap hit as is, creating $6.27MM annual cap charges for the following three seasons.

In an in-depth and interesting piece for GiveMeSport.com, cap expert Mark Deeks argues that, as of Saturday, the time is right for the Lakers to make a move involving Deng. The Lakers want to create as much cap room as possible for the 2019 offseason and trading Deng in a salary-dump deal is their best path to maximizing that cap space, but Deeks doesn’t view that as a realistic or desirable option. Any deal that clears Deng’s salary from the Lakers’ books would cost the team at least a first-round pick, and likely more than that, given how unappealing the contract is.

In Deeks’ view, the Lakers’ best bet is to push for a buyout sometime after September 1. Deng has spoken about wanting the opportunity to play this coming season, and if he doesn’t think he’ll get the chance to get back on the court in Los Angeles, he could be open to giving back a portion of his salary to play elsewhere. Deng won’t surrender a huge chunk of the money owed to him, but Deeks believes a buyout in the $5MM range isn’t unrealistic — after all, the veteran forward could essentially make that money back by signing minimum-salary contracts over the next two seasons.

In that scenario, the Lakers would apply a pro-rated portion of the buyout to each of Deng’s remaining seasons, reducing his cap hit for 2019/20, which in turn would reduce the annual cap charges created by stretching him.

The Lakers are under no pressure to do anything with Deng right now. Stretching Deng on September 1 and doing so next July would have the same impact on the team’s cap. So it may be in the team’s best interests to be patient, exploring the trade market at the deadline and again next summer to see if any takers are out there — if not, the club could simply waive and stretch Deng in 10 months.

Still, Deeks argues that the Lakers’ leverage in buyout talks won’t improve over the course of the year, since allowing Deng to reach free agency now would give him the chance to catch on with a new team for the 2018/19 season. In other words, this may be the club’s best chance to reduce Deng’s stretched cap hits as much as possible.

Additionally, even if the Lakers are able to eventually find a trade involving Deng, they’ll have to give up young players and/or picks to make it happen, and Deeks doesn’t believe surrendering those assets would be worth creating a little extra cap room — even if that extra cap room helps open up a 35% maximum-salary slot.

What do you think? Should the Lakers start working on a Deng buyout now and try to resolve the situation soon? Or does it make sense to hang onto him until at least next summer in order to maximize their potential options?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in on Deng and the Lakers.

L.A. Notes: James, Deng, Gallinari, Barnes

August 4th, 2018 at 9:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

LeBron James has expressed interest in being part of a future NBA Africa game, writes Lindsay du Plessis of ESPN, which would make him the biggest star ever to participate. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the possibility in a news conference prior to today’s contest.

“Both Amadou [Gallo Fall, NBA managing director for Africa] and I have spoken directly to LeBron James, and he has stated that he would very much like to come to Africa and be part of the game,” Silver said. “I will say on his behalf that he has an extraordinarily complicated schedule, even in the offseason, and he is someone who, for the last eight years, has played in the NBA finals. So his season has gone from September to late June, so he has a very short break. During those summers he also often plays for the national team, Olympic Games, things like that.”

Silver added that the African experience, which includes several days of volunteer work as part of Basketball Without Borders, is high on James’ list of priorities and he expressed confidence that the Lakers star will be part of the game in the future.

There’s more NBA news from Los Angeles:

Luol Deng got a rare chance to show off his skills in today’s NBA Africa game and responded with 14 points, three steals and three rebounds, notes Mike Trudell of NBA.com. Deng played on opening night last season, then never got into another game as the Lakers devoted more minutes to their younger players. Deng, 33, is a two-time All-Star, but has become a salary cap problem for the Lakers with two seasons and $36.81MM left on his contract.
Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari looked fully healthy in capturing MVP honors in the game, writes Tim Daniels of Bleacher Report. Gallinari, who was limited to 21 games last season because of injuries and finished the season with a fractured right hand, hit nine of 10 shots and scored 23 points in leading the World Team to victory.
Matt Barnes blames “egos” for the Clippers‘ failure to advance past the second round of the playoffs when they had a core of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, relays Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. Barnes made the remarks in an appearance on AM 570 L.A. Sports, saying the team lacked the “mental toughness” to put together a championship run.

Lakers’ Luol Deng Wants Opportunity To Play

August 2nd, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Luke Adams

After playing 13 minutes in the Lakers‘ 2017/18 regular season opener last October, Luol Deng didn’t appear in another game all year. According to Deng, that was an “organizational decision” that he respected, but didn’t necessarily agree with, as Stuart Hess of South African outlet IOL relays (hat tip to NBC Sports).

“Throughout the year I tried to play and every time they said they wanted to play the young guys, so that’s their direction,” Deng said this week as he prepares for the NBA Africa Game.

Having signed a four-year, $72MM contract in the summer of 2016, Deng is viewed as a negative asset due to his exorbitant salary, but believes he’s still capable of contributing to an NBA team. It seems unlikely he’ll get any more opportunities in 2018/19 than he did last season, however, given the arrival of LeBron James and other veterans, not to mention the Lakers’ continuing desire to develop their young players.

“I don’t know what’s going on now. Hopefully soon I will know. I would like to know the answers,” Deng said. “I know the level I can play at and the decision is something they came up with, whatever the criticism or the plan is, none of it was my decision, people need to understand that. They can say whatever they want, I know I can play the game, they see me at practice every day. If it was a game thing then come out and say it, but the honest truth, it’s the decision they made.”

Since they didn’t end up needing to maximize their cap space to acquire a second star to complement James this summer, the Lakers have kept Deng on the roster. Waiving and stretching him would have created about $11MM in extra cap room, but it would’ve also meant taking on cap charges of $7MM+ for the next five years.

If L.A. keeps Deng under contract for another year, it will be far more palatable for the team to stretch his contract – or even try to trade him – next offseason. For his part, the veteran forward sounds as if he’ll get a little impatient as he waits for an opportunity to get back on the court.

“I want to play, I want to be a part of something,” Deng said. “But I’m not going to be a part of a place where you don’t believe in me. I’m not trying to knock down anybody, but I play for people who believe in me. I’ve taken every opportunity since day one and proven myself, I’m not going to sit here and give you the right answer, I’m going to be honest about it, for me, if the respect and appreciation is not there then I’d rather be elsewhere.”

Thomas Bryant Waived By Lakers

June 30th, 2018 at 3:09pm CST by clarkcrum

Pursuant to an official release from the team, the Lakers have waived backup center Thomas Bryant.

Bryant appeared in 15 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.6 minutes per game.

Bryant’s $1.38MM contract wasn’t set to become guaranteed until July 5, but with the Lakers reportedly planning to guarantee the contract of center Ivica Zubac for next season and the addition of first-round pick Moritz Wagner, there was evidently no need to keep Bryant around any longer.

The Lakers don’t have any more non-guaranteed contracts left on which to make decisions, but they’ll likely still need to do something with the contract of Luol Deng if they want to land two marquee free agents this summer such as LeBron James and Paul George.