Under the terms of its agreement with the NBA, MetLife has the right to exclude 14 high-risk players every year, a decision based on the individual's injury history and the amount of money remaining on his contract.
Deng came under the company's spotlight when he signed a new $71million, six-year contract at the start of this month, the fourth-highest contract in the league at present in terms of outstanding money. MetLife subsequently used an MRI scan taken last November when Deng, 23, injured his back and missed three games to exclude him from the coverage.