Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers to shut down Luol Deng for season

By Brad Berreman

Feb 3, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng (9) controls the ball while Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng (9) controls the ball while Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (7) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
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With 15 games left in their season, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to fully embrace tanking.

The Lakers are currently bringing up the rear in the Western Conference, with a 20-47 record and nine losses over their last 10 games. There’s little to be gained over the final 15 games of the season, other than the extra draft lottery balls that come with more losses.

After deciding to shut down center Timofey Mozgov for the rest of the season on Tuesday, the Lakers have made another decision to open up minutes for younger players.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, forward Luol Deng will join Mozgov on the Lakers’ bench for the rest of the season. Both guys are healthy, but Mozgov has only played one game since the All-Star Break and Deng has not played since Feb. 26. Last summer, Deng (four years, $72 million) and Mozgov (four years, $64 million) were the Lakers’ big free agent signings.

Deng has started 49 of the 56 games he’s played this season, but he’s averaging career lows in points (7.6), assists (1.3 per game) and minutes (26.5) per game while shooting a career-worst 38.6 percent from the floor.

The decision to shut Mozgov and Deng down for the season looks like a mere formality, given how little each has played lately. The Lakers currently have the second-worst record in the league, and if their first-round pick in June doesn’t land in the top three they’ll lose it to the Philadelphia 76ers. Los Angeles originally sent that pick to the Phoenix Suns as part of the Steve Nash trade in 2012, and Philadelphia acquired the rights as part of their ongoing “Process.”

Related Story: NBA Tank Rankings: Why won't it stop?

The Lakers aren’t going to call it what it is, but it’s clear they’re tanking to increase the chance they can keep their first-round pick this summer. The contracts Mozgov and Deng managed to get is another matter entirely, but they can go as marks against the recently fired Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak.

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