Lakers waive and stretch Deng, opening max slot for next summer

The Los Angeles Lakers' quest to clear the decks in terms of salary-cap space is continuing by waiving and stretching veteran forward Luol Deng, according to Shams Charania of Stadium.

Sources: The Los Angeles Lakers and forward Luol Deng are finalizing a contract buyout as part of waive-and-stretch provision.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 1, 2018

By waiting until after Aug. 31 to utilize the waive-and-stretch provision, Deng's contract will be paid in full this season ($18 million), with remaining $18,810,000 being stretched the following three seasons at $6,270,000 per season as dead money on the Lakers' salary cap.

The Lakers were projected to have $25 million in salary-cap space this season. By waiving and stretching Deng, Los Angeles is projected to have between $36 and $38 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. which will result in the Lakers having another max-contract salary slot next summer. Los Angeles signed LeBron James to a four-year, $153 million free-agent deal in July. ngeles Lakers have requested waivers on forward Luol Deng, it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka. “We want to thank Luol for his time with the Lakers,” Lakers general manger Rob Pelinka said in a statement. “We made this move to further our future salary cap and roster flexibility, as we continue to build this Lakers team according to our current overall vision.” The 33-year-old Deng had two years, $36.8 million left on his original four-year, $72 million deal he signed during the summer of 2016.

Ironically, Deng started Game 1 of last season for Los Angeles last season, playing only 13 minutes, scoring two points on one-of-two shooting and added one assist, turning the basketball over once. However, Deng did not play another second the rest of the season. “There has been a lot of talk. Me not playing was not my call. This is an organizational decision," the native of Sudan said, according to Independent Online. "People can say whatever they want to say, I respected what they were telling me. Throughout the year I tried to play, and every time they said they wanted to play the young guys, so that’s their direction.”

ESPN reporting with @ramonashelburne: In buyout with Lakers, Luol Deng walked away from $7.5M on the $36.8M left on his contract. With waive and stretch provision, Lakers have cleared $38M in salary cap space in 2019 free agency.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 1, 2018

The signing of James last month left Deng wondering what direction in which the Lakers were headed in regards to him.

“I don’t know what’s going on now. Hopefully, soon I will know, I would like to know the answers," he said of the changing of the team's front-office strategy. “I know the level I can play at. … They can say whatever they want, I know I can play the game, they see me at practice every day. If it was a game thing then come out and say it, but the honest truth, it’s the decision they made."

Deng was the seventh overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft out of Duke by the Phoenix Suns, who immediately traded him that night to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Jackson Vroman and a 2005 first-round draft selection, which the Lakers used to take guard Nate Robinson.

Deng spent nine-plus seasons with the Bulls before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 6, 2014.

He became a free agent the following summer and signed a multi-year deal with the Miami Heat on July 15, 2014, then doing the same thing with the Lakers on July 7, 2016.

An All-Star in 2011-12 and 2012-13 with Chicago, Deng has career averages of 15.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals in 34.7 minutes in 880 games (826 starts), shooting 45.5 percent from the field, 33.2 percent from deep and 77.0 percent from the free-throw line.

Deng was once an iron man, as he averaged almost 39 minutes per game for the Bulls in the four-season stretch between 2009 and 2013.

He said he wants to continue playing the game, but wants to do so for a franchise which wants him as a contributor.

“I want to play, I want to be a part of something. But I’m not going to be a part of a place where you don’t believe in me," he said. "I’m not trying to knock down anybody, but I play for people who believe in me.

"I’ve taken every opportunity since day one and proven myself, I’m not going to sit here and give you the right answer, I’m going to be honest about it, for me, if the respect and appreciation is not there, then I’d rather be elsewhere.”

Turns out, he will.

Deng has made $136,713,597 in his NBA career.