Los Angeles Lakers NBA Trade Rumors: Shipping Luol Deng to Dallas an Option
The Los Angeles Lakers would love to move Luol Deng as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the team knows full well that it won't be an easy task because the veteran forward is owed $54 million through 2019–20, which makes his contract essentially untradeable.
However, a fellow-bottom dweller in the Western Conference may be willing to take on his bloated contract — for a price.
Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler has suggested that the Dallas Mavericks are a possible landing spot for Deng because of their willingness to absorb unwanted contracts in the past, but he noted that the Lakers will have to sweeten the deal by packaging him together with Julius Randle and a future first-round draft pick.
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"The Mavericks do have a bunch of ending contracts and have routinely been linked in NBA circles to the LA Lakers as a possible destination for Luol Deng," Kyler said in his report.
"League sources said there had been zero talks about a Deng deal with the Mavericks, but history has shown the Mavericks don't have much issue trading within Conference. If the return is right for the Mavericks, they have in the past been open to helping another team shed cap money if it's in their favor, which makes them a team to watch at the deadline," he added.
Previous reports have indicated that the two sides have discussed a potential trade involving Randle and Nerlens Noel before the Mavericks center sustained a left thumb injury, so perhaps they can revisit the deal at a later date.
This deal makes sense for both teams involved. The price to move Deng is quite steep, but the Lakers desperately want to clear up salary cap space for the 2018 offseason because they want to have to flexibility to sign two maximum-salaried players in free agency.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are currently rebuilding, so acquiring an up-and-coming player like Randle and a first-round pick is a step in the right direction.
