The charisma, bravado and intelligence of Miami Heat president Pat Riley will be put to the test today in Chicago. In effort to bring back the best basketball player in the world (LeBron James), Riley has his eyes set on a nice piece in free-agent Luol Deng.
Adrian Wojnaworski of Yahoo Sports is reporting that Riley will meet with Deng today in Chicago, according to CBSSports.com. Riley will speak with Deng in hopes of convincing the 29-year-old to join the Heat for less money; thus creating a stronger supporting cast for LeBron James.
What Riley has to plant in Deng’s head is the idea of a championship being ultimately more important than a huge pay-day. It will be tough though as this could be his last shot of signing a huge contract as he nears the dreaded 30 year-old range. Deng has said he would not accept "significantly" less money to play for a contender.
Deng has played most of his career with the Chicago Bulls before being traded to Cleveland last season. For his career, he’s averaged 16 points, 2.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, according to BasektballReference.com. Deng is an excellent two-way player and would be a great role-player for any team with championship aspirations.
If Riley can convince Deng to come to Miami, then consider James returning to South Beach a certainty.