The Miami Heat have been working aggressively all day Saturday negotiating a deal with small forward costless-agent Luol Deng. ESPN's Marc Stein reports the Heat are looking to finalize a deal with Deng worth 2-years and in the $20 million range.

The Heat have courted Deng heavily, upon learning of LeBron Jame's decision to head back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They hope to team Deng up with the newly re-signed Chris Bosh. 

It's impossible for a single player to replace LeBron James, but Deng is an All-Star in his own right and is an elite defender that can be used as a third option scorer. 

Sources also say it's possible Wade's looming deal with the Heat might not be finalized until next week while negotiations with Deng continue. But Miami's current aim is assembling a core that features Wade and Bosh with newcomer Josh McRoberts and Deng if they can complete a deal in the near future.

The Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, and Phoenix Suns all remain interested in Deng, but the Heat have clearly made Deng their number 1 priority over the last couple days. It's still possible Deng chooses one of the other three teams but for now it looks as if the Heat are the frontrunners.

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About the author
Bryan Castillo
Mechanical Engineer graduate from Texas A&M University class of 2012. Favorite teams are the Dallas Mavericks, Cowboys, & Texas Rangers.