They have been relieved of their starter duties a couple of days ago against the New York Knicks in favor of youngsters Brandon Ingram and Tarik Black. Now, they both found themselves in a deeper situation.
Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng may find themselves not wearing purple and gold as reports from IB Times said that Los Angeles Lakers are trying to ship the two veterans to another team as the trade deadline approaches. The duo was signed to lead a young and talented team led by second years D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Larry Nance, Jr. and, first all-rookie team member Jordan Clarkson.
NBC Sports published that both were signed to a 4-year contract by the management. Mozgov, who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers champion team prior to signing, was signed for $64 million while Deng was inked to a $72 million paycheck.
Following the retirement of long-time star Kobe Bryant, the signing of the two could have been the answer to the team's search for veteran presence and leadership to guide the young players. With Louis Williams taking care of the scoring with his team-high 18.3 points per outing, Russell is slowly getting his groove as the season progresses, from hitting clutch shots and distributing the ball.
The 7-foot Russian Mozgov is now in his 7th year in the league having played for the Knicks, Denver Nuggets, and the Cavs while the 31-year old Deng has been in the league since 2004 and played with the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland, and Miami Heat.
Coach Luke Walton is starting to expose his young players and give them the feel of the game, starting from replacing Deng with Ingram to start the game and Black taking Mozgov's place against the Knicks. Deng played off the bench, chipping in 7 markers, 3 boards, an assist, a steal and a block in 24 minutes while Mozgov rendered a DNP-CD.
Lakers won the game after surviving New York's fourth-quarter rally, 121-107. The victory snapped their 12-game losing skid on the road. Williams led LA with 22 points and 4 dimes while Carmelo Anthony paced the Knicks with 26 points, 3 boards, and 5 assists.
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