NBA Free Agency: Luol Deng signs four-year deal with Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Luol Deng to a four-year deal worth $72 million.
Going into this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers had to make some moves in order to reach the salary cap floor. Because they have so many young players, overpaying for veterans was inevitable. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Lakers have signed former Miami Heat forward Luol Deng to a four-year deal worth $72 million.
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
The move is a tad bit surprising since the Lakers drafted Brandon Ingram with the second overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft and they already have Julius Randle as well. Deng will be expected to rotate with Randle at the power forward position, spelling Ingram when necessary as well. He will bring a strong defensive presence to the Lakers, having averaged six rebounds per game last season for the Miami Heat.
During his career, he has averaged 6.2 rebounds per game, 1.0 blocks per game, 2.4 assists per game, and 15.5 points per game. His player efficiency rating (PER) suggests that he is at worst a league average player. The league average player has a PER of 15. Deng has matched that total in six of his last seven seasons, including a 15.0 PER last season. He has a career PER of 15.7.
Considering that the Lakers are all but required to overpay to get anyone decent, the Lakers did a fine job with Deng. He should serve as insurance for Randle and Ingram and both young players could learn a lot from someone like Deng.
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