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"That kind of changed my love for the game" - Luol Deng recalls his $72 million Lakers stint
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- "That kind of changed my love for the game" - Luol Deng recalls his $72 million Lakers stint
After establishing himself as a two-way force and an All-Star during his time with the Chicago Bulls , Luol Deng looked forward to a new chapter in his career when he signed a four-year, $72,000,000 deal with the Los Angeles Lakers . With Kobe Bryant retiring from the NBA, Deng truly believed he would be one of the team's anchors as they navigated the post-Kobe era.
Unfortunately, the Lakers apparently had other plans, and the 6'9″ forward ended up riding the pine for most of his two-season stint in L.A., as team officials focused on developing the young players. Deng recalled how an opportunity to burnish his career turned into a deflating experience.
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Deng wanted to hoop
Deng initially wanted to stay with the Miami Heat , where he averaged 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 33.0 minutes per game. With LeBron James departing the team and returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers , Deng became a key cog, depended on for his efficient offense and lockdown D.
However, Deng recalled how Pat Riley kept it real with him, saying they couldn't give him the contract he wanted and that it would be much better if he took the Lakers' offer.
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"I'm like, 'You know what? I might never ever get this opportunity again,'" Deng shared .
https://www.youtube.com/embed/EsEyIEbUwhw
With Bryant retiring, Deng felt the Lakers' gig would give him the perfect opportunity to ball out and show everyone he could lead a team filled with young, talented players like Julius Randle , Jordan Clarkson , Brandon Ingram and D'Angelo Russell.
"I had a mindset of, now I'm getting paid. I'm going to the lights and whatnot, and I wanted to make it happen," Deng continued. "So I took the chance, and I took the money, but I never knew exactly what their plan was, or what the plan was not what I was told. And that kind of changed, you know, how I looked at the league, my love for the game, and so on."
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Lakers went in a different direction
As Deng signed his name on the dotted line of the big-money contract he had always wanted, expecting to play heavy minutes and shoulder the offensive load, little did he know that he and the Lakers' brass weren't just on the same page, but they were on different books.
"I wanted to play. I wanted to be a part of the team," Deng remarked. "But I was told, 'We're going in a different direction. I'm not dressing up,' and whatnot. Honestly, that's what it was. And, you know, I always tell people there was a lot of conversation where one month into it, it's like, 'Yo, we're only going to play the young guys.'"
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Apparently, Lakers head coach Luke Walton, with the backing of the president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson, had decided that it was in the team's best interests to give the young players every chance to play and show what they can do.
Deng ended up playing just 56 games in the 2016-17 season, missing the final 22 as the Lakers kept him glued to the bench. The next season was even worse: he played in the season opener before being told to stay in the locker room for the rest of the games. In September 2018, Deng's Lakers stint mercifully ended as the team waived him and bought out his contract.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
