Tag: Timofey Mozgov

NBA denied Lakers application to erase Luol Deng contract from books

The Los Angeles Lakers were denied an application to remove the contract of Luol Deng from their salary cap on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been diligent over the past few weeks. They have worked the trade market to their advantage to get an upgrade at point guard and they’ve also used the free agency market to improve their team this offseason when many looked at their roster as a menagerie of bad assets. But one thing they weren’t able to do during this current free-agent period is to erase one of their worst free agent signings over the past four years.

The NBA informed the Lakers that they would not be forgiven for waiving and stretching the contract of Luol Deng, who signed a 4-year, $72 million contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2016. As a result, the Lakers will have to pay out the remainder of Deng’s contract through the 2022 season.

Few expected Deng’s salary to be relieved for the Lakers given the weird circumstances about the offer. Still, the Lakers will have to move on without any extra salary relief.

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A look back at Draymond Green’s triple-double in Game 6 of 2015 Finals

Draymond Green earned his first NBA Finals triple-double on June 16, 2015, the day the Warriors won the title.

When the Golden State Warriors needed to close out the series, Draymond Green displayed what has been his top form the past few seasons.

Green, one of the best utility players in the NBA, showcased his versatility on the league’s biggest stage June 16, 2015. It was Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and the Warriors were on the road playing the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a win, they’d secure the title for the first time since 1975.

Green helped lead the Warriors to the championship, as Golden State defeated Cleveland, 105-97. He had a career outing in the victory, earning his first Finals triple-double. Green scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished 10 assists.

As one of the best screen setters in the league, Green is surgical with his playmaking in the short pick-and-roll. Because Steph Curry draws so much attention, Green regularly has plenty of space to slip screens and potentially set up his teammates.

The first play of the video above is a perfect example of Green’s effective play in the short roll. As the Cavs sent J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov, Curry quickly passed the ball to Green, who then lobbed an alley oop to Festus Ezeli.

According to Stat Muse, Green has 10 career playoff triple-doubles. He has 24 career triple-doubles, which ranks seventh among active players, per Stat Muse.

With Green being a skilled offensive player, he holds great value within the Warriors’ motion-oriented offense. Even though Curry missed most of this season due to a broken left hand, and Klay Thompson was out due to an ACL injury, Green still ranked first on Golden State in passes per game (58.3), per NBA.com stats.

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