The Los Angeles Lakers are known for achieving success through the most expensive ways possible. As one of the league's most lucrative franchises, the Purple and Gold isn't shying away from boasting its glamour to entice talents to come across various generations. From bringing in Shaquille O'Neal in 1996 and LeBron James in 2018, these signed superstars eventually helped the franchise win championships.
Yet there was a time when this Laker tradition took a dubious turn. In the 2016 offseason, Los Angeles controversially attained Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, landing them in staggering contracts that raised everyone's eyebrows. The signing has been so ridiculous that it baffled team governor Jeanie Buss about how the deal materialized.
“I just didn’t understand what the thought process was,” she confessed , “Whether our philosophies were so far apart that I couldn’t recognize what they were doing, or they couldn’t explain it well.”
An embarrassing signing
It is a pathetic move that no one envisioned coming from the Lakers. After Kobe Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season, the Lakers aggressively pursued stars who would serve as their newest faces. But out of pressure and fear, no one dared shoulder the responsibility of leading the franchise back to relevance.
Without any choice left, the L.A. front office led by Mitch Kupchak and Jim Buss desperately delivered panic acquisitions to save themselves from being on the hot seat. As a result, they secured the services of Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, who became two of the franchise's forgettable players throughout their storied existence.
Both Deng and Mozgov were serviceable eight years ago, to say the least. The veteran forward was a former All-Star coming from a solid two-year run for the Miami Heat. Meanwhile, Mozgov was a role-playing big who became a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2016 title run. But the fact that they secured a massive four-year paycheck from the Lakers is just unimaginable.
Los Angeles spent a whopping $136 million to convince the two to join them. Deng nailed a $72 million deal, while Mozgov gladly accepted a $64 million offer. This horrible free agency overpay drew general criticism from fans and experts, ripping the Lakers' wild decision-making for insulting the franchise's reputation.
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Two of the worst contracts ever
The acquisitions of the two veterans didn't significantly benefit the Lakers in the 2016-17 campaign. As a result, it proved to be one of the major reasons Jeanie sacked both Mitch and Jim at the midpoint of the season and replaced them with Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson.
The Lakers found a resolution to address Timofey’s hefty $48 million left on his contract by sending him to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017 offseason. But they were compelled to attach a first-round pick to fulfill the transaction. On the other hand, Luol’s deal offered a much greater challenge as it forced them to reconstruct his earnings and have him on their payroll until the 2021-22 season.
The Deng-Mozgov entry stands as one of the most blunderous stages that the Lakers have endured, a stark contrast to their otherwise glittering history as a prestigious ball club. And when it comes to compiling a list of the NBA's worst free agency signings , the duo with the Lakeshow undoubtedly takes the cake.
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