The Los Angeles Lakers have been diligent over the past few weeks. They have worked the trade market to their advantage to get an upgrade at point guard and they’ve also used the free agency market to improve their team this offseason when many looked at their roster as a menagerie of bad assets. But one thing they weren’t able to do during this current free-agent period is to erase one of their worst free agent signings over the past four years.
The NBA informed the Lakers that they would not be forgiven for waiving and stretching the contract of Luol Deng, who signed a 4-year, $72 million contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2016. As a result, the Lakers will have to pay out the remainder of Deng’s contract through the 2022 season.
The Los Angeles Lakers application to exclude Luol Deng’s salary from team salary books has been denied by the NBA, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Deng is owed salary through 2022.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 26, 2020
Few expected Deng’s salary to be relieved for the Lakers given the weird circumstances about the offer. Still, the Lakers will have to move on without any extra salary relief.
