Thought it would be nice to have a separate thread for Deng's contract talks. Based on a Chicago Bulls podcast from someone who covers the Bulls (and this guy is very good and has lots of contacts and sources so you can take this info to the bank), Deng's initial request is centered on a deal that would average 12.5M per season.

I don't really have a problem with that figure and I'd think it'll get done. That's roughly what Jamison got and is A LOT less than what Rashard Lewis got last year. It's also not much more than fairly comparable players like Josh Howard, Caron Butler and Tayshaun Prince (the first two signed those deals before they peaked) and is fairly similar to Richard Hamilton, who has essentially been the shooting guard version of Deng. Granted he's not the best of those guys, but given his youth and perceived room to grow he probably has comparable or equal value over the next few years. It's good to see that he isn't asking for a max deal, that means he'll stick around unless something very strange happens.