NBA Trade Rumors: Should the Los Angeles Lakers Include a Core Player in a Deal Also Involving Luol Deng?
Teams have reportedly only expressed interest in trading for Deng if they can also acquire one of the Lakers' young core players
It is getting harder to remember now, but there was a time in the not-too distant past when Luol Deng was legitimately one of the best two-way players in the NBA.
During his days with the Chicago Bulls, Deng made a name for himself by being a durable player who could take on a tough defensive assignment on one end of the floor and still put up a solid scoring night on offense.
As seen on Basketball Reference, Deng even made the All-Star team in two consecutive seasons (2012 and 2013).
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Though Deng has never really reached superstar status in his career, he was at one point the type of player any team could benefit from having on the roster.
These days, Deng is currently buried in a Los Angeles Lakers team content with letting young players find their way on the floor.
It does not seem like that will be changing anytime soon as well.
In a recent article, the Orange County Register's Bill Oram reported that "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."
That is a tough thing to ask of the Lakers.
The Lakers' best hopes for growing into a perennial contender again rest on the development and continued improvement of Ball, Ingram and Kuzma.
It is far from guaranteed that the Lakers will be able to sign a top free agent this summer, and if they end up being shunned, they will need Ball, Ingram, Kuzma and any other young players they bring in to start playing better to turn things around.
Giving up even just one of the three could be potentially disastrous for the Lakers if they strike out in free agency.
If what it will take for the Lakers to be free of Deng's contract is to bundle a talented young player together with him in a deal, they may as well just stick with what they have now.
The Lakers now have something that can be considered a young core, and the last thing they should do is to remove a key player from it.
