Originally signed to a four-year, $72 million deal by the Los Angeles Lakers prior to the 2016-17 season, Luol Deng only appeared in 57 total games over two seasons.
All but one of those games came during Deng’s first season with the Lakers. He started in the opener of the 2017-18 campaign but then was relegated to the bench as the team prioritized development of the young core.
A separation appeared inevitable, and that came at the turn of the calendar to September. The Lakers and Deng agreed to a buyout and he was waived via the stretch provision.