Luol Deng Wants To Play, Seeks Clarity From Lakers

[dan-man]

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

Yes, Bogut's concern makes perfect sense outside of the context of Deng's contract. Bogut is a player, not on the business side and yes, this is unusual. This is one of the worst contracts ever signed ( along with Motzgov ) by the idiots who got kicked to the gutter 2 summers ago. Deng can renegotiate a lower contract to get bought out on, which would lower the cap hit against the Lakers. Not sure what else I can tell you.

[dan-man]

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

Yes, Bogut's concern makes perfect sense outside of the context of Deng's contract. Bogut is a player, not on the business side and yes, this is unusual. This is one of the worst contracts ever signed ( along with Motzgov ) by the idiots who got kicked to the gutter 2 summers ago. Deng can renegotiate a lower contract to get bought out on, which would lower the cap hit against the Lakers. Not sure what else I can tell you.

From CBAFaq.com:

61. Can existing contracts be renegotiated?

A contract for four or more seasons can be renegotiated after the third anniversary of its signing, extension, or previous renegotiation (if the previous negotiation increased any season's salary by more than 4.5%). Contracts for fewer than four seasons cannot be renegotiated. A contract cannot be renegotiated between March 1 and June 30 of any year.

Only teams under the cap can renegotiate a contract, and the salary in the then-current season can be increased only to the extent that the team has room under the cap (and cannot increase the player's salary beyond the maximum salary). A renegotiation can only be used to provide a salary increase -- players can't take a "pay cut" in order to create more cap room for the team.

If the player agrees to waive a portion of his trade bonus in order to facilitate a trade (see question number 99), his contract may not be renegotiated for six months following the trade.

Every category of compensation (base salary, likely bonuses, and unlikely bonuses) that are increased in the renegotiated season must also increase in all subsequent seasons of the contract. Raises (and decreases) in subsequent seasons are limited to 7.5% of the salary in the first renegotiated season.

A renegotiated contract can be extended simultaneously (see question number 60). If a player's contract is extended and renegotiated simultaneously in this manner, his salary may not decrease by more than 40% from the last season before the extension (after it is renegotiated) to the first season of the extension. For example, if the salary in the last season of a contract is renegotiated to $10 million and the contract is simultaneously extended, the salary in the first season of the extension cannot be less than $6 million.

Other rules for renegotiations:

A signing bonus cannot accompany a renegotiation unless the contract is extended simultaneously (see question number 60).

A rookie scale contract (see question number 49) cannot be renegotiated.

A contract cannot be renegotiated in conjunction with a trade.

[Dan Z]

Yes, Bogut's concern makes perfect sense outside of the context of Deng's contract. Bogut is a player, not on the business side and yes, this is unusual. This is one of the worst contracts ever signed ( along with Motzgov ) by the idiots who got kicked to the gutter 2 summers ago. Deng can renegotiate a lower contract to get bought out on, which would lower the cap hit against the Lakers. Not sure what else I can tell you.

From CBAFaq.com:

61. Can existing contracts be renegotiated?

A contract for four or more seasons can be renegotiated after the third anniversary of its signing, extension, or previous renegotiation (if the previous negotiation increased any season's salary by more than 4.5%). Contracts for fewer than four seasons cannot be renegotiated. A contract cannot be renegotiated between March 1 and June 30 of any year.

Only teams under the cap can renegotiate a contract, and the salary in the then-current season can be increased only to the extent that the team has room under the cap (and cannot increase the player's salary beyond the maximum salary). A renegotiation can only be used to provide a salary increase -- players can't take a "pay cut" in order to create more cap room for the team.

If the player agrees to waive a portion of his trade bonus in order to facilitate a trade (see question number 99), his contract may not be renegotiated for six months following the trade.

Every category of compensation (base salary, likely bonuses, and unlikely bonuses) that are increased in the renegotiated season must also increase in all subsequent seasons of the contract. Raises (and decreases) in subsequent seasons are limited to 7.5% of the salary in the first renegotiated season.

A renegotiated contract can be extended simultaneously (see question number 60). If a player's contract is extended and renegotiated simultaneously in this manner, his salary may not decrease by more than 40% from the last season before the extension (after it is renegotiated) to the first season of the extension. For example, if the salary in the last season of a contract is renegotiated to $10 million and the contract is simultaneously extended, the salary in the first season of the extension cannot be less than $6 million.

Other rules for renegotiations:

A signing bonus cannot accompany a renegotiation unless the contract is extended simultaneously (see question number 60).

A rookie scale contract (see question number 49) cannot be renegotiated.

A contract cannot be renegotiated in conjunction with a trade.

Maybe I'm not reading this right, but it sounds like you can't renegotiate a contract to decrease it unless you extend the contract. Is that correct?

That doesn't seem like something the Lakers would do.

As for your previous post I agree...Deng can agree to a buyout and move on. However there are two parties involved in this. Has a buyout been seriously discussed? And if so, how much was offered? Obviously I don't have the answer to those questions, but I bring it up because people have accused Deng of not doing this for anything less than 100% of the contract. That's possible, but if he's willing to talk buyout (which is something mentioned in the hoops hype link you posted) then chances are he's willing to leave some money on the table.

[dan-man]

Yes, Bogut's concern makes perfect sense outside of the context of Deng's contract. Bogut is a player, not on the business side and yes, this is unusual. This is one of the worst contracts ever signed ( along with Motzgov ) by the idiots who got kicked to the gutter 2 summers ago. Deng can renegotiate a lower contract to get bought out on, which would lower the cap hit against the Lakers. Not sure what else I can tell you.

From CBAFaq.com:

61. Can existing contracts be renegotiated?

A contract for four or more seasons can be renegotiated after the third anniversary of its signing, extension, or previous renegotiation (if the previous negotiation increased any season's salary by more than 4.5%). Contracts for fewer than four seasons cannot be renegotiated. A contract cannot be renegotiated between March 1 and June 30 of any year.

Only teams under the cap can renegotiate a contract, and the salary in the then-current season can be increased only to the extent that the team has room under the cap (and cannot increase the player's salary beyond the maximum salary). A renegotiation can only be used to provide a salary increase -- players can't take a "pay cut" in order to create more cap room for the team.

If the player agrees to waive a portion of his trade bonus in order to facilitate a trade (see question number 99), his contract may not be renegotiated for six months following the trade.

Every category of compensation (base salary, likely bonuses, and unlikely bonuses) that are increased in the renegotiated season must also increase in all subsequent seasons of the contract. Raises (and decreases) in subsequent seasons are limited to 7.5% of the salary in the first renegotiated season.

A renegotiated contract can be extended simultaneously (see question number 60). If a player's contract is extended and renegotiated simultaneously in this manner, his salary may not decrease by more than 40% from the last season before the extension (after it is renegotiated) to the first season of the extension. For example, if the salary in the last season of a contract is renegotiated to $10 million and the contract is simultaneously extended, the salary in the first season of the extension cannot be less than $6 million.

Other rules for renegotiations:

A signing bonus cannot accompany a renegotiation unless the contract is extended simultaneously (see question number 60).

A rookie scale contract (see question number 49) cannot be renegotiated.

A contract cannot be renegotiated in conjunction with a trade.

Maybe I'm not reading this right, but it sounds like you can't renegotiate a contract to decrease it unless you extend the contract. Is that correct?

That doesn't seem like something the Lakers would do.

As for your previous post I agree...Deng can agree to a buyout and move on. However there are two parties involved in this. Has a buyout been seriously discussed? And if so, how much was offered? Obviously I don't have the answer to those questions, but I bring it up because people have accused Deng of not doing this for anything less than 100% of the contract. That's possible, but if he's willing to talk buyout (which is something mentioned in the hoops hype link you posted) then chances are he's willing to leave some money on the table.

It says they can renegotiate the contract on the 3rd anniversary of its signing, so that would be early summer 2019 ( assuming some other criteria as well )

[The_Hater]

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.

It should be obvious how much these players with 2+ year deals don’t want to leave on the table because they all get amnestied instead of bought out. If you find a link to a buyout where the payer left as much half the money on the table in any buyout, I’ll be shocked. I’m confident that hasn’t happened.

[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.

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, .

So you’re saying he needed to play more, to stop sucking so badly?

That’s quite a theory, and very popular with basketball coaches. 26 mpg isn’t mop up minutes, that’s pretty much how much non-star, rotation players generally play. He played in 5 different months and his TS% was under 47.0 in 4 of those months. He was consistently bad while playing a lot of minutes. There’s no underlying theory here that he was secretly good.

[Pickled Prunes]

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/

Yeah, I understand your point. But as I said, you can't look blindly at stats; you must consider the situation. That team was tanking at epic levels. The lineups were hodgepodge at best. They all sucked and it wasn't an accident.

[Pickled Prunes]

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.

Dude, the last (and only) time you saw Deng play your team was tanking for the fences. You owe him your allegiance!
You definately need to stop pointing fingers at Deng.... your entire team sucked and they did it on purpose.

If Lakers fans don't want to admit that 16-17 was a tank fest, that's OK with me. But the Lakers put a deal in front of Deng and he signed it. You can thank Mitch for that but Deng doesn't need to bail you out. They don't need to play him or move him, that is up to them. But it is perfectly acceptable for him to say that he would like them to play him or move him. It's what you would want as well.

[DoItALL9]

It's rare that a player who has more than one year left on their contract is bought out. It's also possible that both sides have talked about it and it didn't go anywhere. Why would Deng give up any money? Or at least a large amount of it? The Lakers are the team that gave him that contract.

He hasn't said much this entire time and is now talking in the offseason. That's not very disruptive. How many times has a player been unhappy and then turned into a locker room cancer? It's happened many times. Deng was not a distraction this past season.

I'm not saying Deng should give up any money. But if he won't give up any, he can't bitch about not playing... That's his call. He's gotta decide if he wants keep getting paid to ride the pine w/only so much career remaining for him. I think he needs to patiently wait out this season and assume he'll get delt and released in 2019 the same way melo did a few weeks ago. The Lakers probably won't stretch or eat the contract in a transition year so Deng better get comfy and shut his hole. He should send a gift basket to that idiot, Jim Buss as well for giving him all that free money and enjoy his free ride.

He's frustrated and I don't blame him for venting during the offseason. He has done whatever the Lakers asked him to do and wasn't a distraction during the season. Most players would not act as professional as he has in a situation like this. Just look at the end of Iverson's career or the crazy stuff Marbury did during his time with the Knicks. I'm sure there are other examples too.

I have no idea if a buyout was discussed, but players are rarely bough out when they have more than one year left on their contract. Can you remember one?

I don't see why he can't play a small role on the team. Something similar to Jeff Green on the Cavs.

Josh Smith with Detroit

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[Dan Z]

I'm not saying Deng should give up any money. But if he won't give up any, he can't bitch about not playing... That's his call. He's gotta decide if he wants keep getting paid to ride the pine w/only so much career remaining for him. I think he needs to patiently wait out this season and assume he'll get delt and released in 2019 the same way melo did a few weeks ago. The Lakers probably won't stretch or eat the contract in a transition year so Deng better get comfy and shut his hole. He should send a gift basket to that idiot, Jim Buss as well for giving him all that free money and enjoy his free ride.

He's frustrated and I don't blame him for venting during the offseason. He has done whatever the Lakers asked him to do and wasn't a distraction during the season. Most players would not act as professional as he has in a situation like this. Just look at the end of Iverson's career or the crazy stuff Marbury did during his time with the Knicks. I'm sure there are other examples too.

I have no idea if a buyout was discussed, but players are rarely bough out when they have more than one year left on their contract. Can you remember one?

I don't see why he can't play a small role on the team. Something similar to Jeff Green on the Cavs.

Josh Smith with Detroit

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The Pistons didn't buy out his contract, they used the stretch provision.

https://pistonpowered.com/2017/06/12/detroit-pistons-stretch-josh-smith/

[DoItALL9]

He's frustrated and I don't blame him for venting during the offseason. He has done whatever the Lakers asked him to do and wasn't a distraction during the season. Most players would not act as professional as he has in a situation like this. Just look at the end of Iverson's career or the crazy stuff Marbury did during his time with the Knicks. I'm sure there are other examples too.

I have no idea if a buyout was discussed, but players are rarely bough out when they have more than one year left on their contract. Can you remember one?

I don't see why he can't play a small role on the team. Something similar to Jeff Green on the Cavs.

Josh Smith with Detroit

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The Pistons didn't buy out his contract, they used the stretch provision.

https://pistonpowered.com/2017/06/12/detroit-pistons-stretch-josh-smith/

Good call. Larry Sanders is the only other guy that left multiple years and about half the contract when he left that I can recall. However, I think the Bucks may have done a form of a stretch provision also.

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[Dan Z]

Josh Smith with Detroit

Sent from my LG-H872 using RealGM mobile app

The Pistons didn't buy out his contract, they used the stretch provision.

https://pistonpowered.com/2017/06/12/detroit-pistons-stretch-josh-smith/

Good call. Larry Sanders is the only other guy that left multiple years and about half the contract when he left that I can recall. However, I think the Bucks may have done a form of a stretch provision also.

Sent from my LG-H872 using RealGM mobile app

The Bucks used the stretch provision too.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bucks-will-pay-larry-sanders-for-next-7-years/

He's being paid 1.9 million a year until 2022. Crazy!

I can't imagine the Lakers would stretch Deng's contract.

[DoItALL9]

The Pistons didn't buy out his contract, they used the stretch provision.

https://pistonpowered.com/2017/06/12/detroit-pistons-stretch-josh-smith/

Good call. Larry Sanders is the only other guy that left multiple years and about half the contract when he left that I can recall. However, I think the Bucks may have done a form of a stretch provision also.

Sent from my LG-H872 using RealGM mobile app

The Bucks used the stretch provision too.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bucks-will-pay-larry-sanders-for-next-7-years/

He's being paid 1.9 million a year until 2022. Crazy!

I can't imagine the Lakers would stretch Deng's contract.

There was a writer who suggested it after first giving him an extension so as to lessen the financial blow per year.

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2743657-to-make-room-for-2-stars-lakers-should-give-luol-deng-an-extension-seriously.amp.html

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[Dan Z]

Good call. Larry Sanders is the only other guy that left multiple years and about half the contract when he left that I can recall. However, I think the Bucks may have done a form of a stretch provision also.

Sent from my LG-H872 using RealGM mobile app

The Bucks used the stretch provision too.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/bucks-will-pay-larry-sanders-for-next-7-years/

He's being paid 1.9 million a year until 2022. Crazy!

I can't imagine the Lakers would stretch Deng's contract.

There was a writer who suggested it after first giving him an extension so as to lessen the financial blow per year.

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2743657-to-make-room-for-2-stars-lakers-should-give-luol-deng-an-extension-seriously.amp.html

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It wouldn't make sense anymore because free agency is over.

[ChokeFasncists]

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.

Melo's got a NTC tho. Maybe the Lakers should showcase Deng, let him talk to other teams, see if anyone would pay him and how much. (not sure they want to help the Lakers tho)

OTOH, wondering if Deng has been working as hard as possible to be in shape and be as good as a shooter as possible.

[DoItALL9]

He's frustrated and I don't blame him for venting during the offseason. He has done whatever the Lakers asked him to do and wasn't a distraction during the season. Most players would not act as professional as he has in a situation like this. Just look at the end of Iverson's career or the crazy stuff Marbury did during his time with the Knicks. I'm sure there are other examples too.

I have no idea if a buyout was discussed, but players are rarely bough out when they have more than one year left on their contract. Can you remember one?

I don't see why he can't play a small role on the team. Something similar to Jeff Green on the Cavs.

Josh Smith with Detroit

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The Pistons didn't buy out his contract, they used the stretch provision.

https://pistonpowered.com/2017/06/12/detroit-pistons-stretch-josh-smith/

Could the Lakers negotiate/allow Luol Deng to go play overseas (and make extra money) or would that be a violation of the CBA?

1) I assume he'd still have to be on the Lakers roster.
2) I'd assume he'd have to have a provision in his overseas contract that allowed him to leave if the Lakers traded him and new team wanted his services.


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[The_Hater]

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.

Melo's got a NTC tho. Maybe the Lakers should showcase Deng, let him talk to other teams, see if anyone would pay him and how much. (not sure they want to help the Lakers tho)

OTOH, wondering if Deng has been working as hard as possible to be in shape and be as good as a shooter as possible.

At this point the Lakers;

A: aren’t going to showcase a player dor the sole purpose of trading him in a season where they’re trying to win games and make the thr playoffs

B: should be very prepared for the strong likelihood that Deng just stinks and it doesn’t help increase his value and

C: don’t really want to move and expiring contract, he’s set up perfectly to either be off the books for next summer or be used in a sign and trade in 2019.

And as I mentioned before, if Deng wants out badly enough all he has to do is walk away from his contract. But he won’t.

[Dan Z]

Josh Smith with Detroit

Sent from my LG-H872 using RealGM mobile app

The Pistons didn't buy out his contract, they used the stretch provision.

https://pistonpowered.com/2017/06/12/detroit-pistons-stretch-josh-smith/

Could the Lakers negotiate/allow Luol Deng to go play overseas (and make extra money) or would that be a violation of the CBA?

1) I assume he'd still have to be on the Lakers roster.
2) I'd assume he'd have to have a provision in his overseas contract that allowed him to leave if the Lakers traded him and new team wanted his services.


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My guess is that the CBA wouldn't allow it. Also, if it did then I doubt the Lakers would get much in terms of cap savings (if any at all).

[ChokeFasncists]

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.

Melo's got a NTC tho. Maybe the Lakers should showcase Deng, let him talk to other teams, see if anyone would pay him and how much. (not sure they want to help the Lakers tho)

OTOH, wondering if Deng has been working as hard as possible to be in shape and be as good as a shooter as possible.

At this point the Lakers;

A: aren’t going to showcase a player dor the sole purpose of trading him in a season where they’re trying to win games and make the thr playoffs

B: should be very prepared for the strong likelihood that Deng just stinks and it doesn’t help increase his value and

Maybe should have done that last season. Randle ended up being lost for nothing. I don't believe he just stinks, the Lakers would know better seeing him in practice. They just didn't want to use him so the young players could play. If he's still capable, like I think he is, he should be able to contribute. If he does, I suppose he'll be happy and there's no need to trade him?

C: don’t really want to move and expiring contract, he’s set up perfectly to either be off the books for next summer or be used in a sign and trade in 2019.

And as I mentioned before, if Deng wants out badly enough all he has to do is walk away from his contract. But he won’t.

He's got two more years?