The Los Angeles Lakers and veteran forward Luol Deng have agreed to a buyout that will make the veteran a free agent. Deng will be waived-and-stretched, which creates financial flexibility for Los Angeles. ESPN’s Chris Haynes provides more details:
Los Angeles was projecting to have $25 million in salary-cap space for next season. That number will increase to the $36-38 million range once the Deng buyout is completed, giving the Lakers room for another max-contract player next summer.
Deng will enter free agency and command interest from several contenders, sources said.
Both sides have been working diligently in the past few days on coming to terms on a split that worked for both parties.
By completing this move with Deng, the Lakers are expected to have $36-38MM to work with, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. That creates room for another max contract next offseason for Los Angeles.
Deng, 33, had two years, $36.8MM left on his original four-year, $72MM deal that he signed during the summer of 2016.
The former two-time All-Star played in 56 games his first year with the Lakers in 2016-17, averaging a career-low 7.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG. The Lakers sat Deng late in the season to evaluate its younger players, a role Deng assumed for all of the 2017/18 campaign.
Despite being healthy and able to play, Deng played in just one game this past season. The Lakers even made it publicly clear that they wanted to rid themselves of the albatross contract after the trade deadline in February.
In 14 NBA seasons, Deng wields career averages of 15.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.3 APG between the Bulls, Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers.
