Luol Deng: should Raptors make pitch to him now he’s available?

Small forward Luol Deng has negotiated his early release from the Los Angeles Lakers, and is looking for a new team. Should the Raptors make a serious pitch to him?

Luol Deng has been an NBA player of quality since his rookie season in 2004-05. However, he’s been a pretender since midway through the 2016-17 season, when the Lakers shut him down to concentrate on giving minutes to their kids. Last year was even worse, as Deng played 13….minutes. For a two-time All-Star, that’s a slap in the face.

Thus his buy-out from the Lakers was not surprising in the least. He receives his freedom in return for agreeing to less money, while Los Angeles gets to stretch his payments and get immediate salary cap relief.

Why should anyone in the senior brains trust of the Toronto Raptors care? There are several reasons. Deng hasn’t got a ring on his finger yet, and is 33 years old. He’s made boatloads of money, and has a lot more coming to him, so that’s not an issue. He need only concern himself with finding a championship-calibre team that can use his skills, because he’s eager to prove he’s still got the good stuff.

Assuming those skills haven’t gone to seed, they are considerable. Deng has been a superior two-way player for years; he’s the guy we’d like to see Pascal Siakam become. He’s big (6’9″) for a small forward, and has used his size and speed to become a defensive headache for opponents, all the more so because Luol has always been able to score. His career average is 15 points per game, with an eFG% of 48.4.

Deng’s new team is…?

His old Chicago Bulls coach, Tom Thibodeau, is probably cranking up an offer sheet as I write. Whether Luol would prosper in Minnesota is hard to know. He might get there with high hopes and find himself buried on the bench, as Thibodeau does with everyone.

That’s the biggest problem I envision for Deng in Toronto. Where is he going to play? I was unimpressed by the Greg Monroe signing, and am even more so now. If Masai Ujiri was going to sign someone for the veteran’s minimum, I’d take the versatile Deng over Monroe without thinking twice. Too late now – Monroe’s money is guaranteed.

There’s been speculation that Masai isn’t done dealing, and in particular wants to reduce our team’s luxury tax situation. If that’s true, he’s probably interested in dumping C.J. Miles’ $ 8.33 Million contract. Should he do so, in a blatant give-away like the Cory Joseph donation, Deng could step right in. Masai could presumably use the Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception for Luol.

Deng may want to come to Toronto for another reason. He’s a humanitarian, and returns to Africa often (he’s Sudanese-born, through a British citizen now). He and Masai have worked together for charitable purposes, and to grow hoops in Africa. If he receives reasonable assurances of getting minutes (particularly if C.J. is moved), I think he’d give our team serious consideration.

Would I hate seeing C.J. go? Yes, but if Luol was to be brought in as his replacement, I’d cheer.