LA Lakers

[direstraits94]

Luol Deng reached agreement with the Lakers on a 4 years $72 million

[Guiness]

Source: Luol Deng, Lakers agree to four-year, $72 million deal

• ESPN.com news services
• 11:10 PM CT

Free agent Luol Deng has agreed to a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers that is worth $72 million, a source confirmed to ESPN's Chris Broussard on Saturday.

 

The agreement was first reported by The Vertical.

 

After struggling to find consistency and a comfortable role through much of his two seasons in Miami, Deng blossomed when he shifted from small forward to power forward with All-Star Chris Bosh lost in February for the second time to treat blood clots.

 

Deng, 31, averaged 15.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 28 games after the All-Star break, when he shot 48.4 percent from the field in 31.4 minutes. Deng's versatility on both ends of the court was vital in the Heat's transition to an up-tempo pace over the second half of the season and fueled their push to the second round of the playoffs.

 

"He was getting more space and room to run and cut and be himself," Heat president Pat Riley said of Deng, a 12-year veteran who spent his first nine seasons with Chicago. "He's a great leader. We love him. He's a high-character guy. I consider him one of our core people."

 

The Lakers also have agreed to deals with Jordan Clarkson (four years, $50 million) and center Timofey Mozgov (four years, $64 million) and have made qualifying offers to Tarik Black and Marcelo Huertas. The deal cannot be signed until July 7.

Deng earned $10.1 million last season in the final year of a two-year deal in Miami. But with limited salary-cap space and retaining Dwyane Wade a clear priority after keeping Hassan Whiteside, bringing back Deng appeared to be a huge challenge for the Heat entering free agency.

 

Information from ESPN's Michael Wallace was used in this report.

[azraelmd]

Man....no disrespect to deng,...but he isnt one of those high caliber free agents that the lakers are aiming for....

 

Still at least a veteran to watch over and teach those kids( ingram, russel, randle and clarkson).....

[rooster69ph]

Ganun talaga, the Lakers are not the favored destination of top tier free agents considering they are not close to even becomming a playoff team even with the presence of a promising young core. Top tier FA would obviously want to chase that elusive ring rather than baby sit.

 

In fact given the same $$$, 2nd or 3rd tier FA would likely play for a contending or at least a competitive team. That is why the Lakers have to overpay at this point to immediately secure these players.

[batman99]

mukhang matatagalan rebuilding ng #lakeshow haysss mozgov, deng sinign amp

[Boss James]

For me good deal yung ginawa natin kila Deng and Mozgov. Mejo upgrade ito compare sa mga previous Center and Forward positions natin. Wala tayong makukuhang high caliber free agent ngayon dahil hindi pa competitive ung team. But signing this 2 players is a good start. We have a good young core Clarkson, Russel, Randle, Nance and its latest pick Brandon Ingram. I'm sure this incoming season mag-iimprove na mga yun and hope na si Ingram maka-adjust agad sa NBA.

[startoffbeat]

 

as i've been reading and following the draft process not just this year but in years past. i've noticed that Free Agents don't seem too interested in playing for the Lakers anymore. They have the cap space to sign any available Free Agent, guys like Kevin Durant or Lebron James like type players. But for some reason no one wants to come, not even the mid level all star type players like Derozan aren't interested and he was available before he re-upped with the Raptors.

 

Let me go back a couple years back in 2008 when the Lakers made an incredible steal by trading for Pau Gasol, which led to them being back in contention and getting 2 championships in the process. Even when they got Dwight Howard in a trade a couple of years ago. It didn't matter, because Howard didn't stay with them. He could have chosen to get more money by staying with the Lakers but instead he went for less to sign with Houston.

 

Last year they could have gotten Lamarcus Aldridge to sign with them but even the allure of playing in LA couldn't convince him to sign.

 

At first i thought it was because most free agents didn't want to play with Kobe. But Kobe's era is done and yet, no one is coming and the best they could do is sign Timofey Mozgov?

 

This is the Lakers we are talking about. Not some small market team in the Midwest who builds through the draft. if you look at their history, they have always managed to sign marquee free agents. Shaq, Gasol to name a few and built around them through trades and such. They have always remained competitive.

 

So What's wrong with the Lakers? Why doesn't anyone want to play with them? If they have such a promising young core that is talented, why is it that no one is giving them a 2nd look?

 

I have read an article(forgot to copy and paste the link as I was in such a haste to finish reading) about Derozan not coming to LAL because, according to him, he wants to be remembered as Demar Derozan and not as someone who chases the legacy of someone else.... so who else could that someone be but Kobe Bryant. Kobe must have cast such a huge shadow and set the bar up too high for these young ones.

 

 

Too bad for them. If they lack the fortitude to be better than Kobe, Magic, West, Shaq or Kareem then they can take their business somewhere else. That does not make DD less of a player, he is an awesome player and the west is a very tough conference. He can shine as a superstar in an eastern conference team and maybe win a championship in the future. The Lakeshow can continue to rebuild however they see fit. Rookies or free agents. It does not matter. Hopefully they win a championship or two before I grow old and die.

[MustangEco]

timofey mozgov will be the next junmar fajardo of LA Lakers.....makikita na full potential nya sa LA. at least makopya lang nya moves ni junmar ay magiging superstar na si mozgov

[vienvenido]

Agree in earlier comment, much better team than the last season.

 

if they could get another veteran na hard worker at leadr (sana) to guide the young guns, mas maganda.

 

Manage expectation, 2016-17 maka playoffs lang ok na. 2017-18 maka 2nd round oks na, 2018-19 quarter at semis naman.

 

Learn as a team, play with heart. Parang college team yan. Takbo ng takbo. Haha

[CirocBoy]

IMO, the signing of Deng and Mozgov gives this young team a stability. Let's be real, it's a long shot for them to even play for a playoff spot so these signings right here,especially with Deng, plus the development of the young core they have would attract other 1st tier FAs in the future. Or you never know during the season, this team is capable of making a big splash before the trade deadline

[direstraits94]

dun s list ng center

 

pwede na yung Tyler Zeler for now sa LA masipag yung player better choice.

 

I read from bleacher reports that the Lakers is also interested with Tyler Zeler even if they have Mozgov ,since Zubac is still young.....let's wait and see

[Mad Damian]

How can this team be a better team than last year?

They had Kobe last year

[seal88]

Msyado overprice free agency ngaun.. Lakers could have traded swaggy + clarkson to make room for the salary cap to acquire one superstar.

[seal88]

For me good deal yung ginawa natin kila Deng and Mozgov. Mejo upgrade ito compare sa mga previous Center and Forward positions natin. Wala tayong makukuhang high caliber free agent ngayon dahil hindi pa competitive ung team. But signing this 2 players is a good start. We have a good young core Clarkson, Russel, Randle, Nance and its latest pick Brandon Ingram. I'm sure this incoming season mag-iimprove na mga yun and hope na si Ingram maka-adjust agad sa NBA.

Yeah.. Agree actually with the Deng acquisition. Pwede kc mentoring si deng for ingram dahil bata pa sya. but for mozgov they could have acuired someone better kc may randle and hibbert na sila.

[Guiness]

Laker fans should temper their expectations, you should face reality that this team probably won't win any significant number of games this season because they are too young and inexperienced having a first year coach as well in Luke Walton.

 

To the dude who posted about Hibbert. He is an UFA and the Lakers signing Mozgov. It tells me that they are not going to retain his services I'm hearing that the Raptors are interested in his services.

 

This team won't make the playoffs this season and that's the reality.

 

And to the dude who posted that Mozgov should play like Junmar Fajardo, no offense but i don't think Mozgov knows who Fajardo is and to compare an NBA player to a PBA player is an insult. Just two different talent levels.

Edited July 4, 2016 by hahnz

[Yoda18]

I agree that we should temper our expectations, but it can't be denied that there is an upgrade in the roster. Mozgov will cover up the needs in the Center position and who knows we can hope that Zubac could turn out to be the steal of the draft. Lumakas naman ang forward position with Ingram and Deng, we expect Randle and Nance to continue to improve. Sa guard position solid naman yung combination nila Clarkson,Russell and Williams. There were games that Russell has shown that he can take over. Sadly nga lang they can't get a marquee player in the free agent. Disagree din ako sa salary na binigay nila kay Mozgov.

[Sadmellow]

How can this team be a better team than last year?

They had Kobe last year

 

Well, it's not the usual Kobe na rin kasi, i think mas may makocontribute si Deng/Mozgov now compare to Kobe's last season.

i think ilang years pa bago bumalik sa pagiging playoffs caliber ang team natin

 

Solid Kobe Fan<--

[Mad Damian]

i was being sarcastic. they should be better this year.

[Guiness]

Could The Los Angeles Lakers Trade For Superstar PG Russell Westbrook?

Evan Massey ,

Contributor

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most talented young teams in the league and they have had a solid offseason. After drafting Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, they went into free agency and made a few moves that will make them a much more competitive team this season.

 

Timofey Mozgov was the first big move that the Lakers made when free agency opened. Mitch Kupchak made sure that he locked him up just hours into free agency and gave him a four-year, $64 million deal. Jordan Clarkson was also re-signed by the Lakers and will be a key piece for them long-term.

 

Adding Luol Deng was another big move for the Lakers and will add a huge veteran presence that has been needed. Next up for the Lakers, could be a big trade if they choose to make a blockbuster move.

 

There is a chance that the Oklahoma City Thunder will listen to trade talks for superstar point guard Russell Westbrook after Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors. If that is indeed the case, could the Lakers trade for Westbrook to bring in a new franchise player?

 

Last season with Thunder, Westbrook ended up averaging 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game. He shot 45.4 percent from the field overall and knocked down 29.6 percent from the field overall. Those numbers show exactly why the Lakers would smart to a aggressive pursue a trade for him and make him their long-term replacement for Kobe Bryant.

 

At 27-years-old, Westbrook still has a long career ahead of him in his prime. There are very few players in recent history that have had the type of athleticism and fierce competitive style of play that Westbrook has shown throughout his career.

 

Looking at Westbrook’s current contract, the Lakers would need to get a long-term extension done with him immediately. He is heading into the final year of the five-year, nearly $78.6 million contract. Los Angeles likely wouldn’t acquire him unless they were guaranteed that he would sign a long-term deal.

 

Oklahoma City will be asking for a major return for Westbrook and the Lakers are one of the only teams that have the pieces to get him. They could offer a combination of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Russell or perhaps even Brandon Ingram for Westbrook. All three of those pieces would be intriguing for the Thunder.

 

Outside of the Lakers, there are only a few teams that could have the kind of talent that Oklahoma City will be asking for in return for Westbrook.

 

Sam Presti isn’t going to trade the one superstar that he has left just to make a deal. He is still hoping to get Westbrook signed to a long-term extension himself, but without Durant there is a good chance that he will not give the Thunder a new deal. Westbrook will likely want to hit open free agency next offseason.

 

If the Lakers truly want to work their way back into playoff contention in the next couple years, Westbrook is their man. He will be expensive, but the kind of talent that he has is well worth the price tag. Los Angeles would immediately become a threat in the Western Conference and would be able to build around him over the next few years.

 

Luke Walton took over the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy in order to make the Lakers one of the top franchises in the NBA once again. He had a lot of success as a player for the Lakers. Los Angeles could give him an impressive roster in his first season as head coach.

 

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what ends up happening with Westbrook. He can’t be happy with the Thunder’s chances without Durant, although the Thunder may not want to deal him when everything is said and done.

Expect to hear plenty of rumors about Westbrook over the next few weeks and don’t be surprised if the Lakers do show interest in acquiring him should the Thunder make him available.

[Mad Damian]

dont kid yourself RW. teams only backed off you bec of tbe KD threat. now they can double team and zone you up.

[Gringo*]

Could The Los Angeles Lakers Trade For Superstar PG Russell Westbrook?

Evan Massey ,

Contributor

westbrook.jpg

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most talented young teams in the league and they have had a solid offseason. After drafting Brandon Ingram with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, they went into free agency and made a few moves that will make them a much more competitive team this season.

 

Timofey Mozgov was the first big move that the Lakers made when free agency opened. Mitch Kupchak made sure that he locked him up just hours into free agency and gave him a four-year, $64 million deal. Jordan Clarkson was also re-signed by the Lakers and will be a key piece for them long-term.

 

Adding Luol Deng was another big move for the Lakers and will add a huge veteran presence that has been needed. Next up for the Lakers, could be a big trade if they choose to make a blockbuster move.

 

There is a chance that the Oklahoma City Thunder will listen to trade talks for superstar point guard Russell Westbrook after Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors. If that is indeed the case, could the Lakers trade for Westbrook to bring in a new franchise player?

 

Last season with Thunder, Westbrook ended up averaging 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game. He shot 45.4 percent from the field overall and knocked down 29.6 percent from the field overall. Those numbers show exactly why the Lakers would smart to a aggressive pursue a trade for him and make him their long-term replacement for Kobe Bryant.

 

At 27-years-old, Westbrook still has a long career ahead of him in his prime. There are very few players in recent history that have had the type of athleticism and fierce competitive style of play that Westbrook has shown throughout his career.

 

Looking at Westbrook’s current contract, the Lakers would need to get a long-term extension done with him immediately. He is heading into the final year of the five-year, nearly $78.6 million contract. Los Angeles likely wouldn’t acquire him unless they were guaranteed that he would sign a long-term deal.

 

Oklahoma City will be asking for a major return for Westbrook and the Lakers are one of the only teams that have the pieces to get him. They could offer a combination of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Russell or perhaps even Brandon Ingram for Westbrook. All three of those pieces would be intriguing for the Thunder.

 

Outside of the Lakers, there are only a few teams that could have the kind of talent that Oklahoma City will be asking for in return for Westbrook.

 

Sam Presti isn’t going to trade the one superstar that he has left just to make a deal. He is still hoping to get Westbrook signed to a long-term extension himself, but without Durant there is a good chance that he will not give the Thunder a new deal. Westbrook will likely want to hit open free agency next offseason.

 

If the Lakers truly want to work their way back into playoff contention in the next couple years, Westbrook is their man. He will be expensive, but the kind of talent that he has is well worth the price tag. Los Angeles would immediately become a threat in the Western Conference and would be able to build around him over the next few years.

 

Luke Walton took over the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy in order to make the Lakers one of the top franchises in the NBA once again. He had a lot of success as a player for the Lakers. Los Angeles could give him an impressive roster in his first season as head coach.

 

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what ends up happening with Westbrook. He can’t be happy with the Thunder’s chances without Durant, although the Thunder may not want to deal him when everything is said and done.

Expect to hear plenty of rumors about Westbrook over the next few weeks and don’t be surprised if the Lakers do show interest in acquiring him should the Thunder make him available.

 

this move might give a solid playoff contender for Lakers..exciting

[Richmond]

Jose Calderon also signed a 2 year contract with the Lakers

[Guiness]

Lakers vs Pelicans Summer League Game Highlights

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnBY3zl1OkQ

[vienvenido]

Mukang maganda galaw ng mga bgo

[Maj Mujtaba]

to be a contender

NOT in the next 5 years