Deng Deal Imminent

The Bulls have reportedly reached a verbal agreement on a deal with restricted free agent Luol Deng to the tune of $71 million over six years.  Deng, entering his fifth year in the NBA, gave the Bulls a small timeframe in which to complete a deal last week and apparently it worked.  The Duke product has been the Bulls best player the last two seasons.  Though he did take a bit of a step back last season, he still managed to post averages of 17 points and six rebounds per game.  Deng admitted that he was distracted by the incessant rumors concerning a potential Kobe Bryant trade in which his name was being thrown around.

This was a move that the Bulls had to make.  Deng may not be a superstar in every sense of the term, but he’s an impact player that is capable of receiving a few All-Star nods before his career is over.  He’s the prototypical small forward for the era and should be a great running mate for Derrick Rose.  With Deng and Rose, the Bulls have two cornerstones of their franchise in place and will likely look to build around them for the foreseeable future.  Look for a bounce-back year from Deng, who should be in a better mental state this season now that his future with the team is secure.

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