Minnesota Timberwolves: Luol Deng signing is finally official

In a long-rumored move, Minnesota Timberwolves have officially signed former Los Angeles Lakers (and Chicago Bulls) forward Luol Deng.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been rumored to be considering adding Luol Deng to their roster since before he was even available. Now, the acquisition has been made official by the team. The deal is reportedly for $2.4 million, which appears to be the veteran’s minimum for a player of Deng’s experience.

After the Los Angeles Lakers waived Deng a little over a week ago, the Timberwolves were one of several teams rumored to have interest in the former Chicago Bulls star.

Deng only appeared in one game last year for the Lakers as L.A. more or less told him to stay home as they focused on their youth movement. It came on the heels of a horribly ineffective first year with the Lakers in 2016-17 after he had signed a massive four-year, $72 million contract in the summer of 2016.

In his first year with the Lakers, Deng averaged career-lows in nearly every single statistical category, including minutes (26.5), points (7.6), and assists (1.3) per game. He only appeared in 56 games, starting 49, as his injuries and wear-and-tear from 10 seasons with the Bulls and stints in Cleveland and Miami finally caught up to him.

Deng made the All-Star team in 2012 and 2013 with Tom Thibodeau as his head coach in Chicago. He led the league in minutes per game each of those seasons, also averaging 16 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while playing stellar defense in Thibs’ system.

He was teammates, of course, with current Wolves players Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, and Taj Gibson. We’ve covered the ongoing conversion of the Timberwolves into the Timberbulls quite a bit here at DWW, including here and here, most recently.

It’s concerning from an optics perspective, both for fans and potentially for Thibs’ non-former-Bulls players, most notable Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.

From an on-court perspective, the 33-year-old Deng only appeared in one game last year so he should be well-rested, although he was awful in his age-31 season just two years ago. In two years in Miami from 2014-16, however, Deng was still a useful player and capable defender.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Thibodeau has not made any promises regarding a role on the Wolves’ roster, which is heartening to hear, at least. He’ll be competing with No. 20-overall draft pick Josh Okogie, Euroleague sharpshooter James Nunnally, and veteran Anthony Tolliver for minutes, and each of those players clearly posses more upside than Deng.

That said, Deng could be a valuable mentor for Wiggins and Okogie, and provide solid minutes here and there if Butler or Wiggins goes down with an injury at any point.

While this move feels like Groundhog’s Day as we rehash the addition of yet another former Bull, the actual impact on the roster is minimal. Here’s hoping that Deng’s services aren’t needed all too frequently, and that what was essentially a year off last year in L.A. did his body some good.