Luol Deng Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Suns, Deng, Mozgov, CP3, Kings

March 7th, 2017 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

Veterans Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight were viewed as trade candidates for the Suns, but after both players stayed put at the deadline, it appears the team no longer feels the need to showcase them. As Doug Haller of The Arizona Republic outlines, Chandler and Knight have fallen out of the rotation since the All-Star break, giving way to younger players, and Earl Watson doesn’t intend to move away from that plan anytime soon.

“I’m not changing it unless management changes it,” the Suns head coach said. “I have a boss and my boss has a boss, so whatever comes from up top is what’s going to happen. And right now, that’s not even part of our equation.”

While Watson’s comments made it sounds as if the directive to focus on developing the young players down the stretch came from the Suns’ front office, he declined to confirm that: “I didn’t say that. I said if things change, it will be from management.” Either way, for now, it seems that players like Alan Williams, Tyler Ulis, and even Derrick Jones will receive more playing time at the expense of vets like Chandler and Knight.

Here’s more from around the Pacific division:

From the moment they were agreed upon, the Lakers‘ lucrative four-year deals for Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov were viewed as questionable investments. However, Deng and Mozgov have tuned out that criticism, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “I know people are on me,” Deng said. “I know everybody is talking about it. I can’t control that. The only thing I can control is coming to the gym everyday and working.”
It has been an eventful season for Chris Paul, who played an instrumental role in helping the Players’ Association negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NBA. Michael Lee of The Vertical takes a closer look at how Paul has been able to balance his role in the NBPA with his day job as the Clippers‘ star point guard.
Following last month’s DeMarcus Cousins trade, the Kings were considered likely to slide down the standings, but no one in the locker room wants to hear the “T-word” (tanking), says Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee. In fact, Sacramento is still committed to competing for that No. 8 seed in the West, Jones writes in a separate piece for The Bee. Despite those ambitions, the club is 1-5 since moving Cousins, and now ranks seventh in our 2016/17 Reverse Standings.

Luol Deng’s Role Declining In L.A.

March 5th, 2017 at 8:44am CST by Arthur Hill

Eight months after signing a huge contract with the Lakers, there appears to be no role in L.A. for Luol Deng, writes Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News.

Deng was on the inactive list Friday as the Lakers hosted the Celtics. Coach Luke Walton explained that he wants to get more court time for his younger players over the final month and a half of the season.

But part of the decision stems from Deng’s production. The 31-year-old small forward has averaged just 7.6 points per game and is shooting a career-worst 38.6% from the field. He was given a four-year, $72MM contract last July to be the team’s starting small forward. He held that role through his first 49 games, but his playing time for the rest of the season appears to be limited.

Deng, who still has three seasons and $54MM left on his deal, said he understands Walton’s decision to make him inactive.

“He wants the guys to be in situations where they learn and play minutes,” Deng said. “It’s always about what we’re trying to do. Why am I going to be on the bench if I’m not playing?”

Deng lost his starting spot to rookie Brandon Ingram about a month ago. His production plummeted in a reserve role, down to just 4.1 points and 21.3 minutes over seven games while shooting 27.8% from the field. Walton kept him on the bench for all of Tuesday’s game with Charlotte before deactivating him on Friday.

In addition to giving more playing time to the Lakers’ young core, Walton needs to evaluate Tyler Ennis, who was acquired from the Rockets last week, and David Nwaba, who is with the team on a 10-day contact. There has been no announcement on whether Deng will be in uniform for tonight’s game with the Pelicans.

“He wants to play the young guys, so I’m not going to play,” Deng said. “So there’s no point of being on the active roster and sit on the bench. He’s got to keep all the guys he’s going to play and evaluate.”

Lakers Notes: Deadline, Magic Johnson, Ingram

February 20th, 2017 at 7:33pm CST by Milo Taibi

Bill Plaschke of the L.A. Times is convinced Magic Johnson – recently hired as the Lakers‘ basketball and business advisor – will be calling the shots in the team’s front office. Johnson’s “advisor” title was merely an interim tag, Plaschke speculates, until this coming spring, when Jeanie Buss will rebuild the team’s front office around him.

“Johnson would call the shots that are now called by Jim Buss,” Plaschke writes. “He would be the voice that is currently Mitch Kupchak’s. He would essentially fill the role, both spiritually and practically, that Jerry Buss once entrusted to Jerry West.”

And-Ones: Lakers, Mozgov, Okafor, Wojnarowski

February 8th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak didn’t want Timofey Mozgov to be tempted by other offers and that contributed to the team handing him a four-year, $64MM deal, a source tells Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com. Shelbourne adds that Luol Deng, who signed a four-year, $72MM deal with Los Angeles this past offseason, had other offers for his services, but no team gave him more than a three-year deal. Both Mozgov and Deng were recently relegated to the bench.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Lakers would need to attach a young prospect, such as Ivica Zubac or Larry Nance Jr., to Deng or Mozgov if they want to move one of their free agent additions, Shelbourne writes in the same piece. She adds that the contracts of Deng and Mozgov are not problematic for Los Angeles right now, but they will be soon, as Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell will be eligible for extensions over the next couple offseasons.
Jahlil Okafor, who we profiled as a trade candidate, is making the most of his increased minutes, John Reid of The Time-Picayune writes. Okafor was the subject of trade rumors earlier in the week with the Pelicans being the latest team to show interest in him.
The Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s D-League affiliate, have acquired center Prince Ibeh and waived forward Lazar Hayward, according to a team press release.
Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical is close to joining ESPN, multiple sources tell Kevin Draper of Deadspin.

Pacific Notes: Green, West, Randle

February 7th, 2017 at 6:57pm CST by Austin Kent

Warriors teammates Kevin Durant and Draymond Green were once again seen in a verbal altercation Saturday night. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, it was all part of a master plan by Green.

“Nothing in general” led to the altercation, the Warriors forward said Tuesday. “It was actually a tactic. But that’s for us to know and for everyone else to figure out.”

Green, Hayes writes, was trying to use reverse psychology to motivate his struggling teammate and supposedly followed it up by winking and smiling at some of the Warriors coaching staff.

Earlier this month Green and Durant were seen arguing with one another on the court when the Warriors lost to the Grizzlies.

Despite their interesting relationship, Green and Durant are said to have watched the Super Bowl together the day after the incident, suggesting that the altercation caused no hard feelings. With a 43-8 record, the Warriors have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to locker room chemistry.

There are more headlines out of the Pacific Division today:

The Warriors may need to compete with the Lakers if they want to convince 78-year-old executive Jerry West to stay with the team after his contract expires in July, writes Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News.
Veteran forward P.J. Tucker knows how to get the most out of his younger teammates and his tough-love approach has been put in effect with current Suns rookies Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender, writes Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic.
The Lakers handed out significant contracts to veterans Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng over the offseason but lately the tandem has been coming off the bench, notes Baxter Holmes of ESPN. “I’m not going to say it’s permanent, but we’re going to see how it goes,” head coach Luke Walton said, citing the need to develop young players as the reason for the decision.
Limited to just five minutes over the previous four games, Julius Randle has recovered from pneumonia and and returned to the lineup for the Lakers on Monday. The power forward is expected to be at full strength heading forward, writes Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
There are plenty of assets on the Suns roster, writes Kevin O’Conner of the Ringer. The scribe breaks down what could be next for Phoenix, including franchise cornerstone Devin Booker and “good-but-not-great” point guard Eric Bledsoe.

Luol Deng Out Indefinitely

January 18th, 2017 at 10:13am CST by ChrisCrouse

Luol Deng suffered a sprained wrist against the Pistons on Sunday and the team announced that injury will keep him out indefinitely, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times relays. Deng’s X-rays came back negative, but DiGiovanna notes that the small forward was seen with his right hand in a heavy bandage.

Deng missed one game earlier in the season because of tendinitis in his right bicep. He also sat out another game to rest.

The 31-year-old signed a four-year, $72MM deal with the Lakers and he’s the team’s highest paid player. He’s averaging 8.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 27.6 minutes per game this season.

Pacific Notes: Buss, Lakers, Karl, Tolliver

December 24th, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers president and part owner Jeanie Buss will face a major decision after the season ends, writes Bill Oram of The Orange County Register. Buss could signal a change of direction for the franchise by firing her brother Jim, who serves as executive vice president, and GM Mitch Kupchak. It has been nearly three years since Jim Buss promised to resign if the Lakers weren’t “contending for a championship” in three or four seasons. Coming off three of the worst seasons in franchise history, L.A. sparked some hope with a 10-10 start, but has lost 12 of its last 13 games. “We’re like every other team that we will play a season and we will assess that season when it’s over,” Jeanie Buss said. “No reason to speculate on any possible changes. It’s a waste of time to speculate.”

There’s more news from the Pacific Division:

Nearly all of the Lakers‘ offseason signees are now eligible to be included in trades, notes Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Power forward Thomas Robinson passed his deadline December 23rd, a day after Metta World Peace. Marcelo Huertas, Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov and Jordan Clarkson all became eligible on December 15th. The one exception is backup center Tarik Black, who cannot be traded until January 15th. League rules stipulate a later deadline for him because he received at least a 20% salary increase while re-signing with Bird rights.
Critical comments about the time he spent coaching the Kings were removed from George Karl’s new book, according to ESPN’s Marc J. Spears and Marc Stein. A proof copy of “Furious George” obtained by the network included negative passages about DeMarcus Cousins, GM Vlade Divac and owner Vivek Ranadive. Karl said he had “not authorized” those parts of the book to be included. Sources told ESPN that Karl agreed to refrain from critical statements about the organization in the settlement he reached when he left the team after last season.
Anthony Tolliver is earning more playing time with the Kings, relays James Ham of CSNBayArea. The well-traveled forward signed with Sacramento in July for $16MM over two seasons. He has been in and out of the rotation during the first two months of the season, but has found a larger role in the past week. “Professional — he can sit five games in a row and his name is called and he’s going to come out and play like it’s his last game,” Cousins said. “True professional. He’s always ready to play.”

Southeast Notes: Gay, Dragic, McRoberts

December 24th, 2016 at 8:47am CST by Austin Kent

The Magic have had conversations with the Kings about Rudy Gay, says Steve Kyler over Twitter. In his 11th season as a pro, the 30-year-old forward has shown an ability to produce despite turmoil and instability in Sacramento.

In 23 games so far this year, Gay has posted 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the Kings and he does so with a reasonable $13.3MM contract, positioning him as a possible answer to the Magic’s offensive woes.

With so much going sideways in Orlando after an aggressive offseason of acquisitions, the decision to kick the tires on another established veteran falls in line with the approach they’ve been taking to their rebuild. Over the summer the Magic brought aboard veterans Serge Ibaka, Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green, all with hefty contracts.

It’s unclear who would be on the way out of Orlando in such a deal, but there would need to be something significant exchanged as the Magic currently sit above the 2016/17 salary cap.

Also coming out of the Southeast Division:

Goran Dragic doesn’t know where the rumors started that suggested he was “open to a trade,” writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The 30-year-old guard insists that he is happy with the Heat.
If the Heat can find a taker for forward Josh McRoberts, he won’t come with much of a price tag adds Windermere in his latest Ask Ira feature. Windermere cites McRoberts’ 2017/18 player option worth $6MM as the biggest deterrent limiting the veteran’s value.
The Wizards were in the mix for Luol Deng this summer, says Zach Lowe of ESPN. The two parties had been discussing a three-year deal worth $20MM less than what the 31-year-old forward ultimately signed with the Lakers.

Southeast Notes: Deng, Muscala, Zeller

December 22nd, 2016 at 10:32am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Wizards and Luol Deng were working on a three-year deal worth roughly $52MM before the small forward received the four-year, $72MM deal from the Lakers, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reports. Lowe adds that Washington was stunned to learn of Los Angeles’ offer, which Deng ultimately agreed to.

Here’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat thought they had a chance to re-sign Deng this summer, but they couldn’t compete with the Lakers’ offer, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. “We thought there was a chance we would get him at a way smaller number,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “There was that discussion that he wanted to come back and we wanted him to come back. But we obviously weren’t in a position to make that kind of deal.”
Deng said he wanted to re-sign with the Heat if he didn’t receive the offer from Los Angeles, but he believes the team wasn’t going to make bringing him back a priority, Medina relays in the same piece. “It’s not like I would’ve gone there,” Deng said. “They probably would have had the money and gotten someone else better.”
Mike Muscala could be the next free agent sleeper, Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders contends. Muscala is in the final year of his deal with the Hawks and big man admits that free agency is something that he has thought about. “Yeah, you know I think [free agency is] always in the back of your mind, but you just got to take it game by game,” Muscala said. “I think I’ve been trying to do that my whole career.”
The Hornets moved Cody Zeller to the center spot and he’s found success in his new role, as USA Today details. “I mean, he’s a 5-man,” Clifford said. “The way the league is now he’s a 5, at both ends of the floor. And it definitely suits him better.”

Pacific Notes: Bogut, Deng, Griffin

December 22nd, 2016 at 8:59am CST by ChrisCrouse

The Warriors traded away Andrew Bogut in the offseason and it took the team some time to learn how to play without its former starting center, Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com writes.

“You lose a guy like Bogut who, you almost can funnel stuff to Bogut,” Draymond Green said “You funnel someone to him, you know he’s there and he can kind of erase any mistake that someone makes, and then you lose that, you have to get used to not having that there. When you had it there for the last four years, it takes a little while to adjust to that. However, I think we adjusted to it.”

Here’s more from the Pacific Division:

Luol Deng signed with the Lakers during the offseason in part because he was intrigued with Luke Walton‘s system as well as the team’s young, up-and-coming roster, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. The small forward struggled earlier in the season, but he is beginning to feel more comfortable in his new role. “When you’re with a new group, guys start to realize what you can do and what you can’t do,” Deng said. “A lot of times at the beginning of the year, guys were just standing still. The way I play, I’m always moving.”
The Clippers know how to play without Blake Griffin, something they did for 47 games last season, and their offense remains effective without the five-time All-Star in the line-up, Jesse Dougherty of the Los Angeles Times writes. “The thing is, by playing small and playing [Paul Pierce] at the four, it allows us to spread the floor a little bit more,” J.J. Redick said. The shooting guard added that Griffin’s loss with likely hurt more on the defensive end.