The first piece in Chicago has been retained, and it is not Jimmy Butler. Mike Dunleavy Jr. has agreed to a three-year, $14.4 million deal with the Bulls, according to reports by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The third year of Dunleavy's contract will be partially guaranteed.
The Bulls were determined to lock up their sharpshooting small forward, who was also drawing interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards.
LeBron James wanted Cleveland to pursue Dunleavy to add more shooting on the team, while Washington was perhaps looking at Dunleavy as a possible replacement for Paul Pierce if he is to leave D.C.
However, the Bulls did not let their free agent slip into the laps of their Eastern Conference rivals. Despite Dunleavy averaging 9.4 points per game, the lowest average since his rookie season, the Bulls really valued his shooting and veteran presence.
Dunleavy, 34, will be entering the 14th year of his career. In 63 games played last season, he shot 40.7 percent from three-point territory, playing 29.2 minutes a game.
"I'm thrilled to be back," Dunleavy told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "It's a really fair deal. I'm looking forward to playing for (Hoiberg) and love our team."
The next order of business for the Bulls is to re-sign All-Star Jimmy Butler, who is one of the best two-way players in the league.
According to reports made by Marc Stein of ESPN, Butler is leaning toward accepting a five-year, $90 million maximum deal from the Bulls. Before the start of free agency, Butler was looking for a short, one-year deal, but the huge offer on the table will be hard to pass up. Butler is also drawing heavy interest from the Los Angeles Lakers, but they seem to be more focused on LaMarcus Aldridge at the moment.
It looks like the Bulls may be on their way to securing their wing positions. Re-signing Dunleavy is a brilliant move, as he will continue to provide spacing and potent three-point shooting. With the Bulls trying to keep their core intact, expect them to make another strong playoff push especially with the new coaching staff.