6 years 70 mill!

 

Sources: Deng, Bulls on verge of six-year, $70M deal

By Marc Stein

ESPN.com

 

That status appeared to be slammed home Tuesday night when NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com that Deng and the Bulls, after more than a year of slow-moving negotiations, are suddenly on the verge of completing a new contract that will keep the restricted free agent in Chicago.

 

With Deng committed to leaving for England by week's end to join Great Britain's national team -- and insisting to the Bulls that he would not negotiate with them further without a deal by Friday -- sources said that the sides have verbally agreed on a new six-year pact believed to be worth in excess of $70 million.

 

Sources said that Deng's agent, Jason Levien, flew into Chicago to spend Tuesday at the Bulls' offices finalizing the deal, which could be announced as soon as Wednesday.

 

Given his modest background growing up in the Sudan and Egypt before moving to London, Deng stressed to the Bulls that he was not bluffing when he vowed to play next season on a one-year qualifying offer worth about $4.5 million for the right to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2009.

 

The Bulls then gradually raised their offer to a higher annual average that Deng turned down in October, when Chicago was limited to offering him a five-year extension and presented the 6-foot-9 forward with a five-year package worth $57.5 million. As ESPN.com reported earlier this month, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf chose to personally handle the bulk of the negotiations with Deng's camp as opposed to the standard practice of Bulls general manager John Paxson serving as lead negotiator.

 

Deng, 23, couldn't avoid being dragged down by the Bulls' nightmare season, with Chicago never recovering from the contract extensions that he and teammate Ben Gordon failed to secure in October and smothering speculation about a trade for Kobe Bryant. The Bulls ultimately netted a 33-49 record that cost coach Scott Skiles and interim replacement Jim Boylan their jobs, while Deng played in just 63 games and averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, down slightly from his the numbers in his breakout 2006-07 season (18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 51.7-percent shooting from the floor) when the Bulls went 49-33 and swept the defending champion Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

 

But Deng is said to be excited by the Bulls' appointment of rookie coach Vinny Del Negro and, with long-term security achieved, can head overseas with no concerns about the future. He's trying to help his new national team -- Deng received a British passport in October 2006 -- qualify for the 2009 European Championships and continue the restoration of Great Britain's basketball program. Team Great Britain is coached by Pennsylvania native Chris Finch, and Deng serves as an official ambassador for the London's 2012 Olympics.

 

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here

 

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Edited July 30, 200817 yr by Steve9347

Bye Ben and Kirk

Holy cow. This is deja vu or something. I swear, after the Bears signed all their guys, I had a dream that the Bulls signed Deng a few nights ago.

Praise the lord, finally.

Even if the team probably overpaid some...that was the deal they had to get done. There's just no way they could let Deng enter the year on the 1 year deal and still have any hope of putting together a consistent team that can make a run in a couple year.s

Too much money. Has a good year, they don't give him 5-50, has a down year, and they give him 6-72 or 6-70 or whatever it is.

 

But, what are you going to do? Hopefully they can re-sign then trade Gordon now with Kirk hopefully.

I think I heard the money figures are 71.4, my only question is, is it 11.9 a year or does it make its way up

Too much money. Has a good year, they don't give him 5-50, has a down year, and they give him 6-72 or 6-70 or whatever it is.

 

But, what are you going to do? Hopefully they can re-sign then trade Gordon now with Kirk hopefully.

Like it or not, the Bulls really didn't have a choice. They couldn't afford to make a major move without resigning Deng, they couldn't afford to have him sign the 1 year tender, they couldn't hold out and hope his demands would come down if he decided to go that route. If he signed the 1 year tender they'd have no choice but to trade him. So yeah, he's overpaid based on his performance last year. But if there's still interest in Hinrich after the season he had last year and with his contract, then a decent season or two from Deng and his contract will still be movable.

Good. Ben next and trade Kirk.

Good. Ben next and trade Kirk.

 

by "Ben next" i hope it means now sign and trade Ben ... hah

by "Ben next" i hope it means now sign and trade Ben ... hah

Nope. They will sign him. Kirk needs to go.

Nope. They will sign him. Kirk needs to go.

 

They are so far away though, I see no more then a 1 year deal, in which he then ends up packing his bags .. Kirk can go with him

They are so far away though, I see no more then a 1 year deal, in which he then ends up packing his bags .. Kirk can go with him

 

Ben is just testing the market. I am pretty sure he will be back. If kirk is also back it will be to ease rose in the lineup. Kirk may be traded midseason if that is Pax's thinking.

Good news. Only a matter of time before Ben is traded now that this is done.

I wonder if we could deal Gordon and Hinrich to NY for David Lee...

I wonder if we could deal Gordon and Hinrich to NY for David Lee...

 

Have David Lee and Aaron Gray on the court together ... that would be a f'ing sight to see

I wonder if we could deal Gordon and Hinrich to NY for David Lee...

You're kidding...right?

Good news. Only a matter of time before Ben is traded now that this is done.

Pax almost HAS to make a trade.

Too much money. Has a good year, they don't give him 5-50, has a down year, and they give him 6-72 or 6-70 or whatever it is.

 

But, what are you going to do? Hopefully they can re-sign then trade Gordon now with Kirk hopefully.

I don't think you know what you're talking about. He refused to sign the 5-50 deal that was offered by the Bulls, as did Ben Gordon. Even after a down year, Deng still averaged 17 points and 6.3 boards despite being injured most of the season. I have a feeling he'll be averaging 22/8 this year.

I wonder if we could deal Gordon and Hinrich to NY for David Lee...

Worst trade idea ever.

I don't think you know what you're talking about. He refused to sign the 5-50 deal that was offered by the Bulls, as did Ben Gordon. Even after a down year, Deng still averaged 17 points and 6.3 boards despite being injured most of the season. I have a feeling he'll be averaging 22/8 this year.

 

The Bulls offered Deng 5 for $57.5, or pretty close to what he signed for now.

Worst trade idea ever.

 

Personally I think they should trade Ben and Kirk for Nate Robinson................

Personally I think they should trade Ben and Kirk for Nate Robinson................

Ben and Kirk for Sam Cassell!

Just get Ben Gordon off my team and I'll be happy.

 

Lots of money for Deng, yes, but it needed to be done. Happy to have him in the fold for a while.

Edited July 30, 200817 yr by Rowand44

Ben and Kirk for Sam Cassell!

 

The best of all would be Ben and Kirk for a future 2nd rounder. And we pay half of Kirks contract.

 

 

That would be just marginally better than David Lee, but I could accept that