Back in 2018, Los Angeles Lakers released Luol Deng and stretched the salary they owed him in multiple instances through 2022. No one can dispute that this wasn’t a good decision, as the salary cap space they opened allowed Lakers to sign key players for this year’s NBA title run. However, stretch provision is now coming back to haunt them.

Deng’s original contract would be over after this season if the Lakers opted to remain patient. Because they didn’t, the organization is now on the hook for $5 million in each of the next two seasons despite the player being retired for more than a year.

This is why the report from The Atheltic’s Shams Charania about Lakers’ attempts to find a solution for this situation isn’t all that surprising.

According to Charania, the Lakers argue that Deng had a career-ending injury and have made an application to have his salary removed from their books because of this. In this case, the player would still receive his money, but the salary wouldn’t be counted towards their salary cap or luxury tax.  

There is a long way from here to Lakers actually getting the exception, considering that a panel of doctors must confirm that Luol Deng suffered an injury that prevented him from playing basketball professionally while with the franchise. However, in case they manage to prove this, the upside would be huge.

The organization would be able to stay under the hard cap and avoid paying a luxury tax if Deng’s $5 million is removed from their books. This would open the possibility of adding another key player using the non-taxpaying exception that lands at around $9.2 million in 2020/21.

The post Lakers Trying to Exclude Luol Deng’s Salary from Salary Cap appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Lakers’ nightmare called Luol Deng’s $35.5 million contract is now finally over. According to ESPN‘s Adrian Worjanowski, the Lakers have managed to strike a buyout agreement with Deng, and are now looking to have $38 million in salary cap space next year. In order to push the deal trough, the 33-year-old left $7.5 million on the table.

Final figure on Luol Deng buyout reduction with Lakers: $7.3M. Lakers still have $38M in 2019 salary cap space.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 4, 2018

Getting off Luol Deng’s contract positions the Lakers as the top destination for the 2019 free agents who would be coming to play with LeBron James. The organization is targeting several star players who will be taking offers next summer including Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard, Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler. One thing is for sure; the 2019 summer will be an exciting one for the basketball fans in LA.

With Luol Deng no longer on the team, the new front office of Los Angeles Lakers has finally managed to fix the mistakes of the old regime. Deng received a four-year, $72 million contract in 2016 but never justified big money invested in him. He went on to play just 57 games over the course of two years and was ultimately benched for the entire second half of the 2017-18 season. What makes Deng’s adventure with the Lakers more intriguing is the fact that he was the team’s highest paid player during his time in LA.

Before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Luol Deng was considered to be an all-around player who was able to contribute efficiently on both sides of the floor. After becoming the seventh overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft, Deng went on to play for Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat. During his NBA career, Deng averaged 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He earned two All-Star selections and received NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors once.

The post Los Angeles Lakers Reach a Buyout Agreement with Luol Deng appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Back in 2018, Los Angeles Lakers released Luol Deng and stretched the salary they owed him in multiple instances through 2022. No one can dispute that this wasn’t a good decision, as the salary cap space they opened allowed Lakers to sign key players for this year’s NBA title run. However, stretch provision is now coming back to haunt them.

Deng’s original contract would be over after this season if the Lakers opted to remain patient. Because they didn’t, the organization is now on the hook for $5 million in each of the next two seasons despite the player being retired for more than a year.

This is why the report from The Atheltic’s Shams Charania about Lakers’ attempts to find a solution for this situation isn’t all that surprising.

According to Charania, the Lakers argue that Deng had a career-ending injury and have made an application to have his salary removed from their books because of this. In this case, the player would still receive his money, but the salary wouldn’t be counted towards their salary cap or luxury tax.  

There is a long way from here to Lakers actually getting the exception, considering that a panel of doctors must confirm that Luol Deng suffered an injury that prevented him from playing basketball professionally while with the franchise. However, in case they manage to prove this, the upside would be huge.

The organization would be able to stay under the hard cap and avoid paying a luxury tax if Deng’s $5 million is removed from their books. This would open the possibility of adding another key player using the non-taxpaying exception that lands at around $9.2 million in 2020/21.

The post Lakers Trying to Exclude Luol Deng’s Salary from Salary Cap appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Lakers’ nightmare called Luol Deng’s $35.5 million contract is now finally over. According to ESPN‘s Adrian Worjanowski, the Lakers have managed to strike a buyout agreement with Deng, and are now looking to have $38 million in salary cap space next year. In order to push the deal trough, the 33-year-old left $7.5 million on the table.

Final figure on Luol Deng buyout reduction with Lakers: $7.3M. Lakers still have $38M in 2019 salary cap space.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 4, 2018

Getting off Luol Deng’s contract positions the Lakers as the top destination for the 2019 free agents who would be coming to play with LeBron James. The organization is targeting several star players who will be taking offers next summer including Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard, Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jimmy Butler. One thing is for sure; the 2019 summer will be an exciting one for the basketball fans in LA.

With Luol Deng no longer on the team, the new front office of Los Angeles Lakers has finally managed to fix the mistakes of the old regime. Deng received a four-year, $72 million contract in 2016 but never justified big money invested in him. He went on to play just 57 games over the course of two years and was ultimately benched for the entire second half of the 2017-18 season. What makes Deng’s adventure with the Lakers more intriguing is the fact that he was the team’s highest paid player during his time in LA.

Before joining the Los Angeles Lakers, Luol Deng was considered to be an all-around player who was able to contribute efficiently on both sides of the floor. After becoming the seventh overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft, Deng went on to play for Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Miami Heat. During his NBA career, Deng averaged 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He earned two All-Star selections and received NBA All-Defensive Second Team honors once.

The post Los Angeles Lakers Reach a Buyout Agreement with Luol Deng appeared first on SportzBonanza.