Shortly after securing a buyout agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves have started their pursuit of free-agent forward Luol Deng, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. The Athletic's Shams Charania reports that a meeting will happen within the next week.
The news comes on the heels of many jokes that coach Tim Thibodeau would look to somehow transport his old Chicago Bulls team to Minnesota, which boasts Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Derrick Rose, and potentially … Deng.
Thibodeau, who has nearly omnipotent power as the president of basketball operations and head coach of the team, is one player away from putting together an “incrediBull” lineup for this upcoming season, even if everyone but Butler will be coming off the bench.
Deng played just 13 minutes of the 2017-18 season, seeing only spare minutes of the first game of the season before the Lakers decided he no longer needed to play for the remainder of the campaign in order to make the development of their younger players their No. 1 priority.
The Sudanese international is only two years removed from posting 12.3 points and six rebounds per game for the Miami Heat. His marriage with the Los Angeles Lakers didn't work for either party, making his release the ultimate admission of the blunder they committed in 2016.
The Lakers signed Deng to a four-year, $72 million that summer, though it's unlikely he will get anything but the veteran's minimum to join the Timberwolves or any other team, due to the dry market for most NBA rosters.
Follow Us
Subscribe