Next for Bulls: free agency
As the Bulls eased into negotiations with restricted free agents Ben Gordon and Luol Deng on Tuesday, point guard Chris Duhon took steps toward finding a new team and an ex-Bull created a surprising opportunity.
That's the rundown of local news from the opening of the NBA's free-agent negotiating period. Teams can begin signing free agents on July 9.
There is no telling how long it will take for a resolution of Gordon or Deng's contracts. Both players turned down extensions last summer and are now free to shop around, but the Bulls have the right to match any offer.
It is very unlikely that either player will get an offer sheet from another team, because only a few teams have significant cap room and the Bulls would almost certainly match.
If either player does not want to accept the Bulls' proposal, he can sign a one-year qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. For now, both players have said they want to stay.
"I don't know what to expect, because I've learned every negotiation is different," Bulls general manager John Paxson said Monday. "I'd like to think it will all happen fast, but it probably won't. Both sides have to feel comfortable with the bottom line and if one doesn't, you usually don't get anything done."
The biggest step in the Deng and Gordon negotiations will be when the Bulls hand over their initial offer, which did not happen Tuesday.
Last year when the two players chose to wait, it seemed to be a low-risk move. But after the team took a collective step backward, there is no guarantee the Bulls will offer the same salaries they did last summer.
One difference is Deng and Gordon's new contracts can now run for six years, compared to a limit of five last year.
Duhon, an unrestricted free agent after four seasons with the Bulls, visited with the New York Knicks on Tuesday and has a meeting scheduled with Orlando today. He may take more visits later this week, depending on how the first two go.
Duhon was expected to be the odd man out in the Bulls' crowded backcourt. Now that the team added point guard Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick of the draft, it has become a foregone conclusion that Duhon will switch teams.
The Bulls were frustrated by Duhon's inconsistency, but he has solid point-guard skills and started 141 games for three playoffs teams from 2004-07. A pair of free-agent point guards - Toronto's Jose Calderon and Sacramento's Beno Udrih - reportedly agreed to terms Tuesday with their current teams.
The NBA's biggest free-agent buzz was about Clippers forward Elton Brand and Golden State guard Baron Davis becoming unrestricted free agents Monday. Brand opted out of the final year of a deal worth $16.4 million, while Davis declined $17.1 million.
There was talk that the Clippers made a move Tuesday to sign Davis, a Los Angeles native, and Brand is willing to accept a smaller salary to make it happen. The Clippers have cap room to spend because Corey Maggette also opted out of his contract.
Another rumor had the Warriors pursuing Washington guard Gilbert Arenas, another player who opted for free agency. Arenas' teammate Antawn Jamison took himself off the market by agreeing to a four-year, $50-million extension.
Brand's decision could be an opportunity for the Bulls. If the Clippers fail to land a star player such as Davis, Brand may choose to look for a new team with a better chance of success.
Now that he's a free agent, the Bulls can at least make a sales pitch to Brand about returning to his former home to join Rose, Deng, Gordon and Joakim Noah, and try to encourage a sign-and-trade deal.
Philadelphia and Memphis are the other teams with enough cap room to sign Brand outright, which creates some leverage if Brand wants the Clippers to work out a trade.