Luol Deng (Photo : REUTERS)
Luol Deng had a great situation with the Chicago Bulls until he was traded before the team imploded.
The former Duke standout has since signed with the Miami Heat as the "LeBron replacement." Ironically, Deng was previously with Cleveland before the King returned which made it a "virtual trade."
Of course, Miami did not have the same results with Deng as they did with James, but Deng has held his own and played his role well. He even opted in and stayed with the Heat last offseason, but that could be a ploy to be a free agent during the salary cap spike.
Deng will be a free agent and the safe bet is that he's out of South Beach as the team has other priorities to address, like Hassan Whiteside. As Deng himself admits, money is not at the forefront of his decision.
"A lot of teams out there can offer you a lot of money, but the feel might not be the same," he told Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. "And there could be teams in a situation where they can't actually give you what the other team can, but they've got a lot of other things they can support you with."
"I remember choosing here, and it wasn't really the financial side. It was the fact that I wanted to be comfortable and be somewhere where what I do is appreciated."
An article in Bleacher Report predicted that Deng would probably take less money to join a contender, and one possible destination would be the LA Clippers.
"Deng's next-best option is to find a dependable contender with frontcourt minutes to spare even if that entails his making less or right in the ballpark of what he has with the Heat," B/R's Dan Favale mentioned.
Why the LA Clippers? Deng would be a better option than Jeff Green, whom the Clippers acquired in a trade. Green will be a free agent like Deng and Doc Rivers should take a look at the Deng as an upgrade.
The Clippers will have one last chance with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin bound for free agency. They should convince Deng to chase a title with them as it would probably be his best chance. A starting lineup of Paul, fellow Duke alum JJ Redick, Deng, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan would be formidable even in the West.
