As expected, Luol Deng will be heading to the Miami Heat. The free agent small forward agreed to a deal with the franchise after being in negotiations with them ever since LeBron James' decision.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Deng has signed a two-year contract worth $20 million with the Heat. Sources say Deng will have a player-option for the 2015-16 season.
Pat Riley and the Heat agreed to the deal with the 29-year-old on Sunday morning.
There is really no way Miami can replace LeBron, but Deng is a nice addition to fill in for the small forward slot. With the addition, it allows Miami to still contend in the Eastern Conference.
The interesting part about the deal is Deng's $10 million salary. Deng was offered a three-year, $30 million extension with the Chicago Bulls earlier in the 2013-14 season, but declined it and considered the offer an insult. He was then traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Now Deng is accepting the same salary for less years on the Heat, who are not expected to be better than the Bulls next season. Deng would've been better of staying with Chicago.
Another interesting thing is that Deng and James basically just switched teams, too. Pretty cool how things turn out during NBA free agency.
Anyways, a good move by Miami. They're definitely not backing down after James left.
Deng averaged 16 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season.
