Lakers request career-ending injury application for Luol Deng contract

The Lakers signed Deng to a four-year, $72 million deal that almost immediately went south. He started only 50 games for the Lakers over two seasons, including playing a total of 13 minutes in the team's 2018-19 opener, before he was waived by Los Angeles, which allowed him to join the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Despite not playing for the team in nearly two years, the Lakers were forced to buy out his contract, which means he will still be owed $5 million by L.A. this upcoming season. For the Lakers, this request is a way to clear some space on the books to hopefully strengthen their roster as they prepare to defend their NBA championship.

However, many around the league believe that the Lakers' application will be denied due to the fact that he played for Minnesota after his time in Los Angeles. That shows the injury did not end his tenure with the team. While that may be frustrating for the Lakers, it's something they'll probably be able to live with given the current state of the franchise.