Change of negotiators works for Bulls, Deng

As the Bulls officially announced Luol Deng's new $71 million, six-year contract Thursday, general manager John Paxson emphasized that it doesn't matter how a deal gets done if both sides are happy with the outcome.

So Paxson had no problem removing himself from the negotiations. Director of player personnel Gar Forman handled most of the discussions with Deng's attorney, Jason Levien, and is doing the same with Ben Gordon's agent, Raymond Brothers.

"My personality is such that sometimes it's good for me to take a step back and view it a little less emotionally," Paxson said. "There's a plan in place for how we want to go about the discussions. I don't think it matters too much who's doing the talking as long as we end up on the same page at the end of the day, which we did."

This method is not unusual in pro sports. NFL teams began separating the general manager from contract negotiations more than 20 years ago.

"I don't understand the big deal, to be honest with you. If it is a big deal," Paxson added. "Maybe it has more to do with what I consider my strengths and weaknesses in dealing with people more than anything else.

"We sit down as an organization and determine which direction we want to go. The Bulls negotiate the deal, and Bulls management is (chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf), Gar, myself. We got the deal done and we're really happy about it."

Deng also changed tactics, hiring Levien to handle negotiations this year. After two summers of talks, both sides seemed relieved to finally wrap up the contract. If incentives are met, Deng's compensation could grow to $80 million.

The 6-foot-8 forward slumped a bit last season, missing time with back and Achilles' tendon injuries. But he is only 23, and the Bulls believe he'll continue to improve. Deng's best season came in 2006-07 when he averaged 18.8 points and 7.1 points, then produced 22.2 ppg in the playoffs.

This deal is believed to be the largest in team history, based on total compensation. But if the Bulls' roster remains the same, Deng would be the team's third-highest player this season, behind Larry Hughes ($12.8 million) and Kirk Hinrich ($10 million).

"I wouldn't call it pressure," Deng said. "Definitely, you have responsibilities. I always work hard and I do what I'm supposed to do. I'm committed to being a great player. I see myself being a great player in this league."

After the news conference at the Berto Center, Deng caught a flight to London about six hours later. He expects to remain overseas until late September and will play six European championship qualifiers with the Great Britain national team.

Deng's agent, Josh Nochimson, mentioned that they had to cancel an appearance on a popular BBC morning show after staying in Chicago to finalize the contract. Deng and the British team are trying to help bring attention to basketball in anticipation of the 2012 London Olympics.

The Bulls are still trying to re-sign Gordon, another restricted free agent. The 6-2 guard has been the team's leading scorer for the past three years. The most the Bulls can offer without going into luxury tax territory is about $59 million over six years.

"To me, there's no reason not to be optimistic," Paxson said. "We value Ben and we're going to try to keep him here. We have time. No deadline is out there looming. We need to continue to work at it and keep it professional and keep it moving in the right direction. Nobody's dug their heels in and that's a good thing."

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