Los Angeles Lakers NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Luol Deng Wants a Buyout or Trade to Play Elsewhere
It appears that Luol Deng's time with the Los Angeles Lakers has come to an end.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne has reported that Deng and his agent, Jeff Austin, have discussed a potential buyout or trade with the Lakers. However, he understands that it may take a while for them to sort things out.
"You just never know. It could be a month, it could be a week, it could be three months. I don't want something to happen and I'm called upon but my shape holds me back. The challenge is to challenge yourself to be in better shape than if I was playing," Deng told ESPN after Monday's practice.
"It definitely hurts. But the only answer for me now is to prove myself away from L.A. I'm not asked to play, I'm not in the rotation, so I can't prove myself here," he continued.
The veteran forward started in their season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he hasn't played since then and he's clearly no longer in the rotation.
The Lakers could have given Deng some playing time after Larry Nance Jr. broke his hand, but they decided to keep him on the bench instead while rookie Kyle Kuzma got the starting job at power forward. With Julius Randle and starting small forward Brandon Ingram also seeing minutes at the position, Deng has no chance of cracking the rotation.
Many have actually questioned the Lakers' decision to sign Deng to a four-year, $72-million contract in the 2016 offseason. It could be argued that he was brought in to be a voice in the locker room, but do they really have to pay him that much if they don't want to give him significant minutes?
The Lakers already got rid of Timofey Mozgov and his hefty contract this summer in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, but they also had to give up up-and-coming guard D'Angelo Russell in that deal. Who will they have to give up this time if they trade Deng?
