On Thursday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers will travel as a team to American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami, Florida, a place where 13-year veteran Luol Deng was a household name just two years ago. A lot has changed since then.
After playing a crucial role in the Miami Heat’s deep playoff run in 2016, Deng signed a massive four-year, $72 million contract with the Lakers in free agency. According to Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, the team had planned on bringing Deng back, but couldn’t justify paying more than what LA had offered.