Free agent forward Luol Deng has come to terms with the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $72 million deal, league sources told Shams Charania of The Vertical:
Free agent Luol Deng has reached agreement on a four-year, $72 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2016
For Los Angeles, the acquisition of Luol Deng adds to an offseason that’s included reaching agreements with free agents Timofey Mozgov and Jordan Clarkson. Armed with cap space and its aggressive thinking, the Lakers have been one of the more active teams around the league during the first day of free agency.
Deng, 31, averaged 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 74 games with the Heat last season. Once Chris Bosh was sidelined with a blood clot issue, Deng became a productive force at the Power Forward position, showing the veteran’s versatility.
Deng, a fan favorite in both Chicago from 2004-’13 and Miami from 2014-’16, brings a coveted veteran experience and locker room voice to a team in dire need of both aspects.
The Celtics, Clippers, Jazz, Rockets, Timberwolves, and Wizards had expressed interest in Deng before this agreement. Miami also had interest in bringing back the 12-year veteran, but due to severe cap complications and its looming threat of potentially losing Dwyane Wade, the Heat opted not to sign Deng to a lucrative deal.
Luol Deng was selected #7 overall in the 2004 NBA Draft.
