NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers unlikely to sign Luol Deng
By Josh Hill
The NBA offseason is upon us an while the Heat and Spurs are battling it out for basketball immortality, the rest of the league and its players are trying to figure out what’s next for the 2014-15 season.
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One team and one player wondering about their future could end up colliding together as the Los Angeles Lakers have been eyeing All-Star forward Luol Deng for quite some time and may finally be able to try and reel him in over the summer.
According to Jabari Davis from Basketbal Insiders, while the Lakers may want Deng on their team next year, they’re not alone and likely will have to watch as his price goes far above and beyond the range that Los Angeles will feel comfortable paying him.
"Luol Deng may be one of the more coveted free-agents-to-be, but the market and what Deng is actually looking for could dictate just how realistic of an option he is for the Lakers. Having reportedly turned down the three-year, $30 million deal from the Bulls while still a member, Deng may be able to convince a team he’s worthy of a much larger deal than the Lakers should even consider offering him."
In other words, the Lakers may want Deng but he’s likely to get far too expensive for them to justify offering a contract. It’s entirely possible that Los Angeles gets in early an offers Deng a deal, but he’s not going to take the first deal offered to him and he’ll likely use that as a jumping off point for other teams to match and beat.