Los Angeles Lakers shut down healthy Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov

The Los Angeles Lakers plan to shut down veterans Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov for the rest of the season to give more playing time to their younger players.

The Lakers have dropped 10 of their last 11 games and are 20-47 -- the second straight season they own the worst record in the Western Conference. The Lakers have the second-worst record in the NBA, behind only the Brooklyn Nets (12-54).

Forward Deng, 31, and center Mozgov, 30, are healthy, but the Lakers want to give more minutes to the younger players over the final 15 games, ESPN reported Wednesday.

Deng and Mozgov were free agent acquisitions last summer, signing contracts worth a combined $136 million over four seasons. They recently have been replaced in the starting lineup and their playing time reduced.

The 7-foot-1, 275-pound Mozgov is averaging 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game, while the 6-9, 220-pound Deng is averaging 7.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 26.5 minutes a game.

Deng and Mozgov met individually with coach Luke Walton over the past few weeks and both were comfortable with the team's decision to shut them down, according to ESPN.

Mozgov started 52 of the 54 games he played for the Lakers during the first year of a four-year, $64 million deal. The Undefeated reported Tuesday that Mozgov had effectively been shut down for the rest of the season following a stretch in which he played just one game since the All-Star break.

Deng, who started 49 of the 56 games he played in the first season of his four-year, $72 million deal, hasn't played since Feb. 26.

Lakers president and co-owner Jeanie Buss fired general manager Mitch Kupchak and her brother, executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss, on Feb. 21. Magic Johnson was named to succeed Jim Buss as president of basketball operations, while Rob Pelinka was named general manager.