With ample cap room for the next offseason, the main free agent target will be LeBron James. However, James broke his silence today and said that he would like to retire with the Miami Heat. While the Los Angeles Lakers will be a contender for his services, a more realistic option may be Bulls’ forward, Luol Deng.
On Tuesday morning, it was reported that talks between Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls on a new contract extension had broken down. It was later reported by the Chicago Tribune that the two-time All-Star will become a free agent next summer, according to his agent, Herb Rudoy.
There were rumors throughout this past season and around the NBA Draft that the Bulls were looking to trade Deng. It appears unlikely that Deng will return to Chicago if he isn’t already traded by the end of this season, and he will be a realistic target for the Lakers.
At the age of 28, Deng is considered one of the better defenders in the league and has career averages of 16.0 points and 6.4 rebounds. Deng is an extremely unselfish forward who would play well with Kobe Bryant. In 2007, Bryant reportedly vetoed a trade that would have sent him to the Bulls because he wanted to play with Deng, who was reportedly included in the trade package being sent back to Los Angeles for Bryant.
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