Just last July, the NBA's salary cap increased from $70 million per team to $94.1 million per team. As a result, a lot of NBA teams suddenly have money to spend on free agents. The Los Angeles Lakers is one those many teams.
With a new head coach in Luke Walton, the second round pick of the 2016 NBA draft in Brandon Ingram and a squad of talented young players like D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance, Jr., the Los Angeles Lakers still have enough space under the salary cap to sign two maximum salaried free agents.
That, unfortunately didn't lure any of the top free agents last summer like Kevin Durant, DeMar DeRozan and Hassan Whiteside. The Los Angeles Lakers thus settled for less.
The Los Angeles Lakers used all that extra money on re-signing Jordan Clarkson to a four year, $50 million deal and signing veterans players like forward Luol Deng for four years, $72 million, and center Timofey Mozgov for four years, $64 million. The Los Angeles Lakers also traded for veteran point guard Jose Calderon.
Jordan Clarkson has been playing well to start the season. This season, the Filipino-American guard has been one of the best players for the Los Angeles Lakers. Timofey Mozgov meanwhile has been a reliable center averaging 8.4 points per game on 57.5 percent shooting.
The biggest disappointment however has been Luol Deng. At $18 million a year, Luol Deng is the highest paid player on the Los Angeles Lakers but he's also the least effective contributor.
Luol Deng, 31, is just averaging 6.8 points on only 7.5 shot attempts, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. He's shooting a career low 34.1 percent from the field. This is not what the Los Angeles Lakers expected from Luol Deng when they signed him last summer and definitely not worth all the money the Lakers are giving him.
The best option for the Los Angeles Lakers in order for them to get rid of Luol Deng's massive contract is to trade the former All Star. Finding a team willing to take on Luol Deng's contract is the problem.
The Minnesota Timberwolves is an option. Tom Thibodeau is now the head coach and president of basketball operations of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tom Thibodeau is also Luol Deng's former coach with the Chicago Bulls and has said before that's he's willing to reunite with his former players in Chicago.
