Luol Deng Wants To Play, Seeks Clarity From Lakers

[Dan Z]

If you read the wiretap article Deng says that he wants clarity from the Lakers. I think anyone in his situation would want the same. The Lakers should sit down with him and tell him what the plan is.

You don't have to be a genius to have clarity here. They are stuck w/you and your overpaid contract. They will do their best to trade your sorry contract at the first possible moment. In the meantime, shut your hole and cash those checks OR let us buy you out for a much more modest number that is closer to your true market rate of about ~5 mil a season, if that. Ask your agent or dog walker if you don't have the self awareness Or meet with Magic. He will tell you straight up.

You're not being realistic. Like I said above anyone in his situation would want the same thing. My guess is that Deng and the Lakers sit down and talk soon.

If you read the full article Deng was in Africa promoting basketball and was asked about his situation with the Lakers, specifically because of the roster changes (the signing of LeBron in particular). The Lakers are a different team than they were last season.

I've said this before in this thread:

Players don't get bought out when they have more than one season left on their contract. If I'm wrong then name some examples.

He's been a professional throughout his entire time with the Lakers. See the video I posted in this thread. Despite his professionalism Magic laughs at him in the video.

I can't remember a situation where a team signed a veteran player and, even though he's healthy, have asked him to sit all season long. Even Mozgov played 31 games last year. I don't see why he can't play a small role (for example Jeff Green on the Cavs last year).

[QBoro KnicksFan]

Because I just bitch slapped you with some facts? OK...

No cause your bitch ass conflating fact with opinion, you fkin d*ckhead douche bag kill yaself

Dramatic and illiterate - lethal. Are you some wanna be gangsta rapper or something?

Nah, just not a b*tch made punk like yourself, you troglodyte POS

[QBoro KnicksFan]

If you read the wiretap article Deng says that he wants clarity from the Lakers. I think anyone in his situation would want the same. The Lakers should sit down with him and tell him what the plan is.

You don't have to be a genius to have clarity here. They are stuck w/you and your overpaid contract. They will do their best to trade your sorry contract at the first possible moment. In the meantime, shut your hole and cash those checks OR let us buy you out for a much more modest number that is closer to your true market rate of about ~5 mil a season, if that. Ask your agent or dog walker if you don't have the self awareness Or meet with Magic. He will tell you straight up.

You're not being realistic. Like I said above anyone in his situation would want the same thing. My guess is that Deng and the Lakers sit down and talk soon.

If you read the full article Deng was in Africa promoting basketball and was asked about his situation with the Lakers, specifically because of the roster changes (the signing of LeBron in particular). The Lakers are a different team than they were last season.

I've said this before in this thread:

Players don't get bought out when they have more than one season left on their contract. If I'm wrong then name some examples.

He's been a professional throughout his entire time with the Lakers. See the video I posted in this thread. Despite his professionalism Magic laughs at him in the video.

I can't remember a situation where a team signed a veteran player and, even though he's healthy, have asked him to sit all season long. Even Mozgov played 31 games last year. I don't see why he can't play a small role (for example Jeff Green on the Cavs last year).

Noah was healthy most of last season - Knicks didnt play him although the main reason they didnt play him and actually banished him from the team was b/c of a dust up during practice with since fired head coach Hornacek. Deng hasnt done anything near that, hes not a locker room cancer at all. He's obviously diminished from what he once was but if you dont want to play him then trade him or buy him out. He didnt force the Lakers to sign him to that ridiculous contract and b/c he actually wants to fulfill his contractual obligation that makes him some sort of bad guy? Complete and utter nonsense.

Id love to have Noah's albatross contract off my beloved Knicks, I hate that deal, but I don't hate him. Lol, what would even be the point of that? Ppl hating on Deng cause of his contract are super lame.

[QBoro KnicksFan]

You don't have to be a genius to have clarity here. They are stuck w/you and your overpaid contract. They will do their best to trade your sorry contract at the first possible moment. In the meantime, shut your hole and cash those checks OR let us buy you out for a much more modest number that is closer to your true market rate of about ~5 mil a season, if that. Ask your agent or dog walker if you don't have the self awareness Or meet with Magic. He will tell you straight up.

You're not being realistic. Like I said above anyone in his situation would want the same thing. My guess is that Deng and the Lakers sit down and talk soon.

If you read the full article Deng was in Africa promoting basketball and was asked about his situation with the Lakers, specifically because of the roster changes (the signing of LeBron in particular). The Lakers are a different team than they were last season.

I've said this before in this thread:

Players don't get bought out when they have more than one season left on their contract. If I'm wrong then name some examples.

He's been a professional throughout his entire time with the Lakers. See the video I posted in this thread. Despite his professionalism Magic laughs at him in the video.

I can't remember a situation where a team signed a veteran player and, even though he's healthy, have asked him to sit all season long. Even Mozgov played 31 games last year. I don't see why he can't play a small role (for example Jeff Green on the Cavs last year).

Noah was healthy most of last season - Knicks didnt play him although the main reason they didnt play him and actually banished him from the team was b/c of a dust up during practice with since fired head coach Hornacek. Deng hasnt done anything near that, hes not a locker room cancer at all. He's obviously diminished from what he once was as a player but if you dont want to play him then trade him or buy him out. He didnt force the Lakers to sign him to that ridiculous contract and b/c he actually wants to fulfill his contractual obligation that makes him some sort of bad guy? Complete and utter nonsense.

Id love to have Noah's albatross contract off my beloved Knicks, I hate that deal, but I don't hate him. Lol, what would even be the point of that? Ppl hating on Deng cause of his contract are super lame.

[Dan Z]

I can't remember a situation where a team signed a veteran player and, even though he's healthy, have asked him to sit all season long. Even Mozgov played 31 games last year. I don't see why he can't play a small role (for example Jeff Green on the Cavs last year).

Noah was healthy most of last season - Knicks didnt play him although the main reason they didnt play him and actually banished him from the team was b/c of a dust up during practice with since fired head coach Hornacek. Deng hasnt done anything near that, hes not a locker room cancer at all. He's obviously diminished from what he once was but if you dont want to play him then trade him or buy him out. He didnt force the Lakers to sign him to that ridiculous contract and b/c he actually wants to fulfill his contractual obligation that makes him some sort of bad guy? Complete and utter nonsense.

Id love to have Noah's albatross contract off my beloved Knicks, I hate that deal, but I don't hate him. Lol, what would even be the point of that? Ppl hating on Deng cause of his contract are super lame.

If I remember correctly when Fizdale was hired he said that he was going to talk to Noah and figure out what they want to do going forward. I don't recall hearing that from the Lakers in regards to Deng. However my guess is that they do sit down and discuss it.

[QBoro KnicksFan]

Noah was healthy most of last season - Knicks didnt play him although the main reason they didnt play him and actually banished him from the team was b/c of a dust up during practice with since fired head coach Hornacek. Deng hasnt done anything near that, hes not a locker room cancer at all. He's obviously diminished from what he once was but if you dont want to play him then trade him or buy him out. He didnt force the Lakers to sign him to that ridiculous contract and b/c he actually wants to fulfill his contractual obligation that makes him some sort of bad guy? Complete and utter nonsense.

Id love to have Noah's albatross contract off my beloved Knicks, I hate that deal, but I don't hate him. Lol, what would even be the point of that? Ppl hating on Deng cause of his contract are super lame.

If I remember correctly when Fizdale was hired he said that he was going to talk to Noah and figure out what they want to do going forward. I don't recall hearing that from the Lakers in regards to Deng. However my guess is that they do sit down and discuss it.

Yes, during his introductory press conference as head coach, Fiz seemed ambicale towards bringing Noah back. However, I dont think that sentiment is shared by GM Scott Perry and POBO Steve Mills, when the Noah topic was brought up during that press conference both their facial expressions switched up like they just ate some bad tuna I believe it was Perry who said "nothing is off the table" as it pertains to the Noah situation but it was said in a flippantly cliché type of way, like he's already done with him and would rather not answer questions abt him anymore. I really believe the altercation Noah had with Hornacek last season really soured the brass on him possibly returning. 2 yrs left on his deal and you're right, teams almost rarely ever buyout a player with more than one season left. I'd personally prefer the Knicks to ride out that contract to the bitter end, or at least until a buyout becomes more feasible, however Im expecting the Knicks to stretch-n-waive Noah next month.

[Pickled Prunes]

It's really disgraceful the way the Lakers have treated Luol Deng. He's a very solid player and a stand up guy. Shame on that organization. Players around the league pay attention when an organization treats a player like crap.

It's no wonder LA can NEVER sign marquee free agents despite being one of the biggest markets in the league. Aside from Lebron who was the last big time free agent LA signed? I can't think of a single one.

Let’s not put ‘solid’ and ‘Loul Deng’ in the same sentence please. It’s not still 2013, the last time we saw Deng on the court he was awful (47% TS% and 10.1 PER in 26 mpg) and that isn’t going to magically improve with age.

If he was actually ‘solid’ then another team would trade for his services wouldn’t they? Plus I’ve never in my life seen an employee getting paid $16 million every 12 months be so hard done by. If he’s truly unhappy with his treatment and his compensation he could ask them to rip up his contract and leave. The Lakers would gladly do that. But hes obviously not being treated all that badly since he hasn’t (and won’t) walk away from his contract.

See all the holes in your theory now?

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

[dan-man]

If you read the wiretap article Deng says that he wants clarity from the Lakers. I think anyone in his situation would want the same. The Lakers should sit down with him and tell him what the plan is.

You don't have to be a genius to have clarity here. They are stuck w/you and your overpaid contract. They will do their best to trade your sorry contract at the first possible moment. In the meantime, shut your hole and cash those checks OR let us buy you out for a much more modest number that is closer to your true market rate of about ~5 mil a season, if that. Ask your agent or dog walker if you don't have the self awareness Or meet with Magic. He will tell you straight up.

You're not being realistic. Like I said above anyone in his situation would want the same thing. My guess is that Deng and the Lakers sit down and talk soon.

If you read the full article Deng was in Africa promoting basketball and was asked about his situation with the Lakers, specifically because of the roster changes (the signing of LeBron in particular). The Lakers are a different team than they were last season.

I've said this before in this thread:

Players don't get bought out when they have more than one season left on their contract. If I'm wrong then name some examples.

He's been a professional throughout his entire time with the Lakers. See the video I posted in this thread. Despite his professionalism Magic laughs at him in the video.

I can't remember a situation where a team signed a veteran player and, even though he's healthy, have asked him to sit all season long. Even Mozgov played 31 games last year. I don't see why he can't play a small role (for example Jeff Green on the Cavs last year).

Agreed on many of your points but the Lakers clear priorities which have been communicated on many platforms include: develop the young core: ingram, lonzo, kuzma, hart - mix in LBJ to groom their chemistry. Bring in 1 year deal vets off the bench to provide depth. In 2018/2019 probe a trade that includes expiring deals & 1 or 2 assets to better compliment LBJ in the near future. Deng may get some minutes here or there but his contract is a blocker and disruptive to attaining another super-star w/out sacrificing some young assets, so he just can't be considered part of the Laker future.

[ChokeFasncists]

If you read the wiretap article Deng says that he wants clarity from the Lakers. I think anyone in his situation would want the same. The Lakers should sit down with him and tell him what the plan is.

You don't have to be a genius to have clarity here. They are stuck w/you and your overpaid contract. They will do their best to trade your sorry contract at the first possible moment. In the meantime, shut your hole and cash those checks OR let us buy you out for a much more modest number that is closer to your true market rate of about ~5 mil a season, if that. Ask your agent or dog walker if you don't have the self awareness Or meet with Magic. He will tell you straight up.

You're not being realistic. Like I said above anyone in his situation would want the same thing. My guess is that Deng and the Lakers sit down and talk soon.

If you read the full article Deng was in Africa promoting basketball and was asked about his situation with the Lakers, specifically because of the roster changes (the signing of LeBron in particular). The Lakers are a different team than they were last season.

I've said this before in this thread:

Players don't get bought out when they have more than one season left on their contract. If I'm wrong then name some examples.

He's been a professional throughout his entire time with the Lakers. See the video I posted in this thread. Despite his professionalism Magic laughs at him in the video.

I can't remember a situation where a team signed a veteran player and, even though he's healthy, have asked him to sit all season long. Even Mozgov played 31 games last year. I don't see why he can't play a small role (for example Jeff Green on the Cavs last year).

DWill? Definitely not a normal thing tho. He was fighting his coach and was gonna get a 10 mil contract.

[Rek]

It's really disgraceful the way the Lakers have treated Luol Deng. He's a very solid player and a stand up guy. Shame on that organization. Players around the league pay attention when an organization treats a player like crap.

It's no wonder LA can NEVER sign marquee free agents despite being one of the biggest markets in the league. Aside from Lebron who was the last big time free agent LA signed? I can't think of a single one.

Let’s not put ‘solid’ and ‘Loul Deng’ in the same sentence please. It’s not still 2013, the last time we saw Deng on the court he was awful (47% TS% and 10.1 PER in 26 mpg) and that isn’t going to magically improve with age.

If he was actually ‘solid’ then another team would trade for his services wouldn’t they? Plus I’ve never in my life seen an employee getting paid $16 million every 12 months be so hard done by. If he’s truly unhappy with his treatment and his compensation he could ask them to rip up his contract and leave. The Lakers would gladly do that. But hes obviously not being treated all that badly since he hasn’t (and won’t) walk away from his contract.

See all the holes in your theory now?

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

I understand that Deng is frustrated and anyone would be. However, "earning a living" is definitely not his area of concern. What would be fair is if he came to terms with the reality that he is viewed as someone that is seriously overpaid relevant to what he can deliver on the court. If he wants to untether himself from the situation and be "fair" about it, then he can think in terms of what his actual pay scale should be and then negotiate based on that. Apparently, he thinks his current 18 million per scale is on point.

Whether Luol is willing to accept it or not, even if he had been playing consistent minutes all along, he still wouldn't be able to sniff anything remotely close to the contract he already has. If he wants to prove that big money isn't what he's focused on, there's nothing stopping him from working out a buyout that is agreeable for both sides. Deng and his agent have shot down any attempts to negotiate any significant lesser payout. If the options he wants to consider don't offer at least slightly better financial relief to the team than simply stretching his remaining contract, then why should the team consider entertaining any of said options?

He believes he should get all of his money AND be set free to play with some other team just because he can't crack the rotation on a bad team. Funny how that part is being left out of this dialogue. Shocking that his reps don't want to lead with those details when they share their plight with the media.

[Dan Z]

Let’s not put ‘solid’ and ‘Loul Deng’ in the same sentence please. It’s not still 2013, the last time we saw Deng on the court he was awful (47% TS% and 10.1 PER in 26 mpg) and that isn’t going to magically improve with age.

If he was actually ‘solid’ then another team would trade for his services wouldn’t they? Plus I’ve never in my life seen an employee getting paid $16 million every 12 months be so hard done by. If he’s truly unhappy with his treatment and his compensation he could ask them to rip up his contract and leave. The Lakers would gladly do that. But hes obviously not being treated all that badly since he hasn’t (and won’t) walk away from his contract.

See all the holes in your theory now?

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

I understand that Deng is frustrated and anyone would be. However, "earning a living" is definitely not his area of concern. What would be fair is if he came to terms with the reality that he is viewed as someone that is seriously overpaid relevant to what he can deliver on the court. If he wants to untether himself from the situation and be "fair" about it, then he can think in terms of what his actual pay scale should be and then negotiate based on that. Apparently, he thinks his current 18 million per scale is on point.

Whether Luol is willing to accept it or not, even if he had been playing consistent minutes all along, he still wouldn't be able to sniff anything remotely close to the contract he already has. If he wants to prove that big money isn't what he's focused on, there's nothing stopping him from working out a buyout that is agreeable for both sides. Deng and his agent have shot down any attempts to negotiate any significant lesser payout. If the options he wants to consider don't offer at least slightly better financial relief to the team than simply stretching his remaining contract, then why should the team consider entertaining any of said options?

He believes he should get all of his money AND be set free to play with some other team just because he can't crack the rotation on a bad team. Funny how that part is being left out of this dialogue. Shocking that his reps don't want to lead with those details when they share their plight with the media.

Do you know for sure that a buyout was discussed? And that Deng and his agent refused negotiate anything less than 100%?

Got any links?

[dan-man]

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

I understand that Deng is frustrated and anyone would be. However, "earning a living" is definitely not his area of concern. What would be fair is if he came to terms with the reality that he is viewed as someone that is seriously overpaid relevant to what he can deliver on the court. If he wants to untether himself from the situation and be "fair" about it, then he can think in terms of what his actual pay scale should be and then negotiate based on that. Apparently, he thinks his current 18 million per scale is on point.

Whether Luol is willing to accept it or not, even if he had been playing consistent minutes all along, he still wouldn't be able to sniff anything remotely close to the contract he already has. If he wants to prove that big money isn't what he's focused on, there's nothing stopping him from working out a buyout that is agreeable for both sides. Deng and his agent have shot down any attempts to negotiate any significant lesser payout. If the options he wants to consider don't offer at least slightly better financial relief to the team than simply stretching his remaining contract, then why should the team consider entertaining any of said options?

He believes he should get all of his money AND be set free to play with some other team just because he can't crack the rotation on a bad team. Funny how that part is being left out of this dialogue. Shocking that his reps don't want to lead with those details when they share their plight with the media.

Do you know for sure that a buyout was discussed? And that Deng and his agent refused negotiate anything less than 100%?

Got any links?

Is the sky blue? Is the world round? Kind of an ignorant thing to question. You think the Lakers enjoy paying 50+ million to a bench warmer from last season?

[Dan Z]

I understand that Deng is frustrated and anyone would be. However, "earning a living" is definitely not his area of concern. What would be fair is if he came to terms with the reality that he is viewed as someone that is seriously overpaid relevant to what he can deliver on the court. If he wants to untether himself from the situation and be "fair" about it, then he can think in terms of what his actual pay scale should be and then negotiate based on that. Apparently, he thinks his current 18 million per scale is on point.

Whether Luol is willing to accept it or not, even if he had been playing consistent minutes all along, he still wouldn't be able to sniff anything remotely close to the contract he already has. If he wants to prove that big money isn't what he's focused on, there's nothing stopping him from working out a buyout that is agreeable for both sides. Deng and his agent have shot down any attempts to negotiate any significant lesser payout. If the options he wants to consider don't offer at least slightly better financial relief to the team than simply stretching his remaining contract, then why should the team consider entertaining any of said options?

He believes he should get all of his money AND be set free to play with some other team just because he can't crack the rotation on a bad team. Funny how that part is being left out of this dialogue. Shocking that his reps don't want to lead with those details when they share their plight with the media.

Do you know for sure that a buyout was discussed? And that Deng and his agent refused negotiate anything less than 100%?

Got any links?

Is the sky blue? Is the world round? Kind of an ignorant thing to question. You think the Lakers enjoy paying 50+ million to a bench warmer from last season?

It's not ignorant. I'm asking for facts instead of made up stories.

You have no idea what both sides have talked about, otherwise you'd provide a link.

[dan-man]

Do you know for sure that a buyout was discussed? And that Deng and his agent refused negotiate anything less than 100%?

Got any links?

Is the sky blue? Is the world round? Kind of an ignorant thing to question. You think the Lakers enjoy paying 50+ million to a bench warmer from last season?

It's not ignorant. I'm asking for facts instead of made up stories.

You have no idea what both sides have talked about, otherwise you'd provide a link.

Luol Deng said in November that he had asked the Lakers either for a trade or to buy him out of the two years remaining on his contract. He said Friday he is still hopeful for a resolution before the end of the season. In preliminary trade talks, teams have only shown a willingness to absorb the $36 million remaining on Deng’s deal if Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball is included in the deal. The Lakers are not budging. Neither is Deng. “They’ve made it clear that I’m not wanted here,” he said “so for me I’ve just got to focus on what I got to control.”

https://hoopshype.com/storyline/luol-deng-buyout/

Walton and Deng both said they’ve had several discussions last year and again this year about the situation. Walton told ESPN that his message to Deng has been, “We have a really young group that we’re trying to grow together and get as much opportunity as possible. I know that that’s not obviously the ideal situation for you or what you signed up for; I have compassion for that.”

[dan-man]

Is the sky blue? Is the world round? Kind of an ignorant thing to question. You think the Lakers enjoy paying 50+ million to a bench warmer from last season?

It's not ignorant. I'm asking for facts instead of made up stories.

You have no idea what both sides have talked about, otherwise you'd provide a link.

Luol Deng said in November that he had asked the Lakers either for a trade or to buy him out of the two years remaining on his contract. He said Friday he is still hopeful for a resolution before the end of the season. In preliminary trade talks, teams have only shown a willingness to absorb the $36 million remaining on Deng’s deal if Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball is included in the deal. The Lakers are not budging. Neither is Deng. “They’ve made it clear that I’m not wanted here,” he said “so for me I’ve just got to focus on what I got to control.”

https://hoopshype.com/storyline/luol-deng-buyout/

Deng "isn't budging". That's his choice to take $$ over a role elsewhere so nobody else to blame.

[Dan Z]

It's not ignorant. I'm asking for facts instead of made up stories.

You have no idea what both sides have talked about, otherwise you'd provide a link.

Luol Deng said in November that he had asked the Lakers either for a trade or to buy him out of the two years remaining on his contract. He said Friday he is still hopeful for a resolution before the end of the season. In preliminary trade talks, teams have only shown a willingness to absorb the $36 million remaining on Deng’s deal if Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma or Lonzo Ball is included in the deal. The Lakers are not budging. Neither is Deng. “They’ve made it clear that I’m not wanted here,” he said “so for me I’ve just got to focus on what I got to control.”

https://hoopshype.com/storyline/luol-deng-buyout/

Deng "isn't budging". That's his choice to take $$ over a role elsewhere so nobody else to blame.

The quote you posted doesn't say anything about him choosing money over leaving. It says that he talked to the Lakers and asked for a trade or buyout. Then it mentions why there was no trade.

If a buyout was discussed we have no idea what the two parties said to each other. Even if the Lakers buyout Deng I'm pretty sure he still counts against the cap.

Did you read Andrew Bogut's comment about the situation? It was in your link.

Read on Twitter

[The_Hater]

It's really disgraceful the way the Lakers have treated Luol Deng. He's a very solid player and a stand up guy. Shame on that organization. Players around the league pay attention when an organization treats a player like crap.

It's no wonder LA can NEVER sign marquee free agents despite being one of the biggest markets in the league. Aside from Lebron who was the last big time free agent LA signed? I can't think of a single one.

Let’s not put ‘solid’ and ‘Loul Deng’ in the same sentence please. It’s not still 2013, the last time we saw Deng on the court he was awful (47% TS% and 10.1 PER in 26 mpg) and that isn’t going to magically improve with age.

If he was actually ‘solid’ then another team would trade for his services wouldn’t they? Plus I’ve never in my life seen an employee getting paid $16 million every 12 months be so hard done by. If he’s truly unhappy with his treatment and his compensation he could ask them to rip up his contract and leave. The Lakers would gladly do that. But hes obviously not being treated all that badly since he hasn’t (and won’t) walk away from his contract.

See all the holes in your theory now?

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

He has been professional, but he’s also getting paid a massive amount of money from the organization. I’m not taking a shot at Deng himself, I’m taking a shot at the Bull’s fan complaining about how unfairly he’s being treated while trying to tell is that he’s still a solid player.

If he look a terrible the stats from his 2016-17 and ignore the name of the player and the contract they’re attached too, you wouldn’t be at all surprised if thst player was out of the league the following season. That’s how awful Luol Deng was in 2016-17/

[The_Hater]

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

I understand that Deng is frustrated and anyone would be. However, "earning a living" is definitely not his area of concern. What would be fair is if he came to terms with the reality that he is viewed as someone that is seriously overpaid relevant to what he can deliver on the court. If he wants to untether himself from the situation and be "fair" about it, then he can think in terms of what his actual pay scale should be and then negotiate based on that. Apparently, he thinks his current 18 million per scale is on point.

Whether Luol is willing to accept it or not, even if he had been playing consistent minutes all along, he still wouldn't be able to sniff anything remotely close to the contract he already has. If he wants to prove that big money isn't what he's focused on, there's nothing stopping him from working out a buyout that is agreeable for both sides. Deng and his agent have shot down any attempts to negotiate any significant lesser payout. If the options he wants to consider don't offer at least slightly better financial relief to the team than simply stretching his remaining contract, then why should the team consider entertaining any of said options?

He believes he should get all of his money AND be set free to play with some other team just because he can't crack the rotation on a bad team. Funny how that part is being left out of this dialogue. Shocking that his reps don't want to lead with those details when they share their plight with the media.

Do you know for sure that a buyout was discussed? And that Deng and his agent refused negotiate anything less than 100%?

Got any links?

There are no links obviously, these things are always handled behind closed doors. But Almost every buyout in NBA history has been 80-95% of the remaining salary. And as we watched Melo do, he got the entire amount he sacrificed to the Hawks ($2.4) back with his Rockets contract. So he lost nothing.

These guys NEVER give back a large chunk of money for their freedom, they all want their freedom and their money and they usually get both if they wait long enough.

[Dan Z]

.

Do you know for sure that a buyout was discussed? And that Deng and his agent refused negotiate anything less than 100%?

Got any links?

There are no links obviously, these things are always handled behind closed doors. But Almost every buyout in NBA history has been 80-95% of the remaining salary. And as we watched Melo do, he got the entire amount he sacrificed to the Hawks ($2.4) back with his Rockets contract. So he lost nothing.

These guys NEVER give back a large chunk of money for their freedom, they all want their freedom and their money and they usually get both if they wait long enough.

It's also very rare that a buyout is reached when a player has two years left on his deal.

A report said that in November Deng asked the Lakers for either a trade or buyout, which means he's willing to leave some money on the table. How much? I have no idea. Also who knows what the Lakers are willing to do from their side of things.

[tigerae]

Let’s not put ‘solid’ and ‘Loul Deng’ in the same sentence please. It’s not still 2013, the last time we saw Deng on the court he was awful (47% TS% and 10.1 PER in 26 mpg) and that isn’t going to magically improve with age.

If he was actually ‘solid’ then another team would trade for his services wouldn’t they? Plus I’ve never in my life seen an employee getting paid $16 million every 12 months be so hard done by. If he’s truly unhappy with his treatment and his compensation he could ask them to rip up his contract and leave. The Lakers would gladly do that. But hes obviously not being treated all that badly since he hasn’t (and won’t) walk away from his contract.

See all the holes in your theory now?

Deng was last seen on a team trying desperately hang on to the top-3 protected pick they had traded away. Let's not base all our assumptions on stats grown in a tank.

And sure, he likely isn't worth $16M and he is now an unknown quantity, so a trade is tough. But a players career is short. It's a short time to play the game you love and it's a short time to earn a living. It seems fair that he would like to do both with the time he has left. He's been reasonably professional through all of this.

He has been professional, but he’s also getting paid a massive amount of money from the organization. I’m not taking a shot at Deng himself, I’m taking a shot at the Bull’s fan complaining about how unfairly he’s being treated while trying to tell is that he’s still a solid player.

If he look a terrible the stats from his 2016-17 and ignore the name of the player and the contract they’re attached too, you wouldn’t be at all surprised if thst player was out of the league the following season. That’s how awful Luol Deng was in 2016-17/

Lets be honest, the reason his stats were terrible on the Lakers was because he wasn't implemented in to the system. He played 26mpg in 2016/17, but they were usually throw away minutes on a team that never made sure he was in a position to score as they were trying to basically tank.

He has also kept his mouth shut the entire last season and was a true professional and allow the young core to play. It wasn't until Magic and the Organization decided to treat him like trash and basically wish him away that he spoke up and made it known that he wants to play and be given a chance.

He is only 33, not 37+, so he likely still has some miles on those legs and could play well on say the Rockets (or other contenders) right now in limited minutes who are very low on SF depth.