Luol Deng and the Los Angeles Lakers have put an end to a forgettable two-year stint, with the Lakers officially announcing the release of the 33-year-old forward on Saturday. Deng was frustrated with his role, especially last year when he played in just one game.

The Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli summed up his situation like this:

Deng had zero desire to be back with the Lakers and was very confident last season would be his final year here. He was deeply frustrated at the impression he took the money at the expense of his career.

The Lakers generously offered a four-year, $72 million deal to the forward in 2016. The team brought Deng to Los Angeles to instill a veteran presence and to make use of his versatility as a combo forward.

But even before that year, signs were pointing to Deng's declining career, making the contract rather questionable. He proceeded to have a career-worst season in 2016-17 before an effectively lost 2017-18 campaign. The veteran wanted a more consistent role in the Lakers' rotation, but the Lakers decided they wanted to go with younger players.

Via Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times:

The current freeze was finalized before the season in a meeting with Deng and Lakers officials. It was mutually decided that, instead of playing Deng just a few minutes of garbage time each night, he would just sit out entirely so younger players could get the minutes.

Deng can still be a vital cog on any contending team needing a 3-and-D veteran, and it remains to be seen what threads Deng will put on come next season.