Lakers rumors: Which veteran is best to trade before deadline?

Luol Deng

Age: 31

Exp: 12 years

Position: Small forward

Salary: $18M

While Luol Deng isn’t a bad trade, the fact that he makes the most money out of anyone on the team causes the same problem Los Angeles has to figure out with Mozgov. Too much money up front made the organization think that maybe having mentors would be good for the young core.

Instead, it feels like veterans such as Deng are still in their own bubble and not necessarily helping the team grow.

The reason he’s in the C range instead of being lower is the fact that he could actually make a major impact somewhere else. He would need to fit in with a team that wouldn’t require that mentor role of him and wouldn’t expect him to lead in any way, shape, or form.

Those teams are out there, but they’ll likely only bite if he’s part of a package with other players or future draft picks — he won’t win the Lakers anything back by himself.