Luol Deng, Bulls agree to new deal 6-year deal

Restricted free agent forward Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls have agreed to six-year contract that could be worth as much as $80 million. The Bulls e-mailed a news release Wednesday afternoon announcing the "contract signing of Luol Deng."

No details on the deal were released.

General manager John Paxson did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

The new deal was reported earlier by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and ESPN.com, which said the contract would include $71 million in guaranteed money.

Deng averaged 17 points and 6.3 rebounds last season, while shooting 47.9 percent. That marked a drop from 2006-07, when he scored 18 points a game with 7.1 rebounds, while making 51.7 percent of his shots. Deng had rejected a five-year contract extension last October that was worth $57.5 million.

A four-year pro out of Duke, the 6-foot-9 Deng has career averages of 15.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.

After three straight playoff appearances and a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Bulls faltered in 2007-08, finishing 33-49 in a season that saw both head coach Scott Skiles and interim coach Jim Boylan lose their jobs.

The Bulls are hoping Deng will be a big part of their future along with Derrick Rose, a guard out of Memphis selected by Chicago with the No. 1 pick in last month's draft.

Guard Ben Gordon, who rejected a five-year, $50 million contract before last season, also is a restricted free agent.

Pistons agree to deal with former No. 1 pick Brown

Kwame Brown and the Detroit Pistons agreed to terms on a deal potentially worth $8 million over two seasons, team president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told The Associated Press on Monday night.

Brown, the No. 1 pick overall in 2001, will make $4 million next season. If Brown exercises an option for the 2009-10 season, he will play in Detroit for another $4 million. If Brown doesn't take the option, he become a free agent again next summer and the Pistons won't owe him anything.

He has averaged just 7.5 points and 5.7 rebounds over his career that started with the Washington Wizards and continued with the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The 6-foot-11, 270-pound center had the best season of his NBA career with the Wizards four years ago, when he averaged 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds.

Brown is coming off perhaps his biggest disappointment, scoring just 4.8 points a game — his lowest average since his rookie year — with the Lakers and Grizzlies. Brown was traded to Memphis in February as part of the Pau Gasol deal.

The Pistons won't need Brown to live up to the billing of being the top pick in the draft, but they will count on him to add depth at center and power forward.

Detroit won the 2004 NBA title and has advanced to six straight Eastern Conference finals thanks to players other teams didn't want such as Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess.

It will be quite a feat if Brown joins the list.

Brown's relatively inexpensive and short-term deal seems to be a low-risk gamble worth taking for a team that traded another underperforming center, Nazr Mohammed, to the Charlotte Bobcats for two players with expiring contracts last season. Mohammed, who averaged just 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds last season for the Pistons, is due to make about $25 million through the 2010-11 season.

It's unclear who Brown will play with next season because Dumars put every player on the trading block, other than second-year pro Rodney Stuckey, when he fired coach Flip Saunders this offseason. He reiterated his hope to alter the look of the team when he hired coach Michael Curry.

NBA Warriors ink Ellis to multi-year deal

Golden State signed guard Monta Ellis to a multi-year National Basketball Association contract here Thursday after a breakout season for the Warriors by the 22-year-old speedster.

Ellis averaged career bests of 20.2 points and 5.0 rebounds as well as 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals over 81 games last season for a player who has made steady progress since jumping from high school to the NBA in 2005.

"We're absolutely thrilled to have Monta under contract for the next several years," Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin said.

"He has been one of the top young players in the NBA for the last two years and enjoyed a tremendous season last year. The growth that he has demonstrated at such a young age is incredible and we look forward to him playing a big part in our future success."

Ellis, who was named the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2007, will take on greater responsibility because star guard Baron Davis has departed to join the Los Angeles Clippers.

Posey signs $25 million contract with Hornets

James Posey has won NBA championships with two teams. The New Orleans Hornets hope to be his third.

Posey, a 6-foot-8 forward who last season helped the Boston Celtics win their first title since 1986, agreed Wednesday to a four-year, $25 million contract with New Orleans, agent Mark Bartelstein said.

Posey also was part of the Miami Heat's championship squad in 2005-06. His record of playing a prominent reserve role on title-winning squads made him a top free-agent target for the Hornets, who are coming off their best season in franchise history and looking to contend for a first championship of their own.

The Celtics hoped to keep Posey, a 31-year-old veteran who has a reputation as a strong defender and who was periodically assigned to guard LeBron James and Kobe Bryant during the postseason.

Posey struggled with the decision, knowing that joining All-Stars Chris Paul and David West in New Orleans would mean leaving behind Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in Boston, where as recently as Tuesday Posey was signing copies of the Celtics' championship DVD for fans.

"It was a really tough decision for him," Bartelstein said. "Boston was an incredible experience for him every way you look at it. If he was going to leave Boston, he wanted to make sure it was for a team that would compete for a championship immediately and the Hornets certainly are in that world."

Riding the play-making ability of Paul, who'll also play point guard for the United States at the Summer Olympics, the Hornets won a franchise-record 56 regular season games and the Southwest Division for their first division crown.

New Orleans beat Dallas in five games in the opening round of the playoffs and came within a victory of reaching the Western Conference finals, losing to San Antonio in a seven-game, second-round series.

The Hornets' weakness was an inconsistent bench.

Posey, meanwhile, averaged 22 minutes of playing time during Boston's playoff run, scoring 6.7 points and grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game. Posey averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds during the regular season, his 10th in the NBA.

Shortly before the draft, the Hornets traded away their only selection, the 27th overall pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for $3 million in cash with the stated purpose of using that money toward a proven player in free agency who could help them win right away.

The Hornets inquired about several free agents, including Corey Maggette, Eduardo Najera and Jarvis Hayes, but as those players signed with other teams it was clear that Posey was the player the Hornets' coveted most.

With the money they received from Portland, combined with the savings that came from not having to shell out guaranteed money to a first-round draft pick, the Hornets were able to offer a generous enough deal to bring Posey to New Orleans.

With the Hornets, Posey could compete for a starting role as coach Byron Scott could move Peja Stojakovic from small forward to shooting guard and send Morris Peterson to the bench.

However, Scott may prefer to keep Posey as a sixth man, a role sometimes as important as starting.

The Hornets now will likely turn their attention to signing a backup point guard and possibly a backup power forward or center. New Orleans' top choice at the point appears to be Jannero Pargo, an explosive scorer who opted out of the final year of his contract with the Hornets, more in hope of getting a longer, more lucrative contract than leaving.

Bartelstein also represents Pargo and said a handful of teams are competing for him, including New Orleans, and that Pargo wanted to test the market.

Pargo became Paul's primary backup last season when the Hornets traded Bobby Jackson and a draft pick to Houston for Bonzi Wells and Mike James. In the playoffs, Pargo averaged 10.2 points, scoring 30 points in a first-round game at Dallas.

Wells became a free agent this summer as well, but the Hornets are less likely to pursue him now that they have Posey playing the same position.

Posey signs 4-year, $25M contract with Hornets

James Posey has won NBA championships with two teams. The New Orleans Hornets hope to be his third.

Posey, a 6-foot-8 forward who last season helped the Boston Celtics win their first title since 1986, agreed Wednesday to a four-year, $25 million contract with New Orleans, agent Mark Bartelstein said.

Posey also was part of the Miami Heat's championship squad in 2005-06. His record of playing a prominent reserve role on title-winning squads made him a top free-agent target for the Hornets, who are coming off their best season in franchise history and looking to contend for a first championship of their own.

The Celtics hoped to keep Posey, a 31-year-old veteran who has a reputation as a strong defender and who was periodically assigned to guard LeBron James and Kobe Bryant during the postseason.

Posey struggled with the decision, knowing that joining All-Stars Chris Paul and David West in New Orleans would mean leaving behind Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in Boston, where as recently as Tuesday Posey was signing copies of the Celtics' championship DVD for fans.

"It was a really tough decision for him," Bartelstein said. "Boston was an incredible experience for him every way you look at it. If he was going to leave Boston, he wanted to make sure it was for a team that would compete for a championship immediately and the Hornets certainly are in that world."

Riding the play-making ability of Paul, who'll also play point guard for the United States at the Summer Olympics, the Hornets won a franchise-record 56 regular season games and the Southwest Division for their first division crown.

New Orleans beat Dallas in five games in the opening round of the playoffs and came within a victory of reaching the Western Conference finals, losing to San Antonio in a seven-game, second-round series.

The Hornets' weakness was an inconsistent bench.

Posey, meanwhile, averaged 22 minutes of playing time during Boston's playoff run, scoring 6.7 points and grabbing 3.6 rebounds per game. Posey averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds during the regular season, his 10th in the NBA.

Shortly before the draft, the Hornets traded away their only selection, the 27th overall pick, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for $3 million in cash with the stated purpose of using that money toward a proven player in free agency who could help them win right away.

The Hornets inquired about several free agents, including Corey Maggette, Eduardo Najera and Jarvis Hayes, but as those players signed with other teams it was clear that Posey was the player the Hornets' coveted most.

With the money they received from Portland, combined with the savings that came from not having to shell out guaranteed money to a first-round draft pick, the Hornets were able to offer a generous enough deal to bring Posey to New Orleans.

With the Hornets, Posey could compete for a starting role as coach Byron Scott could move Peja Stojakovic from small forward to shooting guard and send Morris Peterson to the bench.

However, Scott may prefer to keep Posey as a sixth man, a role sometimes as important as starting.

The Hornets now will likely turn their attention to signing a backup point guard and possibly a backup power forward or center. New Orleans' top choice at the point appears to be Jannero Pargo, an explosive scorer who opted out of the final year of his contract with the Hornets, more in hope of getting a longer, more lucrative contract than leaving.

Bartelstein also represents Pargo and said a handful of teams are competing for him, including New Orleans, and that Pargo wanted to test the market.

Pargo became Paul's primary backup last season when the Hornets traded Bobby Jackson and a draft pick to Houston for Bonzi Wells and Mike James. In the playoffs, Pargo averaged 10.2 points, scoring 30 points in a first-round game at Dallas.

Wells became a free agent this summer as well, but the Hornets are less likely to pursue him now that they have Posey playing the same position.

Bulls' top pick Rose pleads guilty to speeding

The Chicago Bulls No. 1 draft choice Derrick Rose pleaded guilty Monday to driving more than 40 mph over the speed limit on an Illinois highway back in April.

Kane County Associate Judge Robert J. Morrow ordered Rose to pay a $1,000 fine and attend traffic school, according to the county's state's attorney's office.

The misdemeanor speeding charge happened in April, when Rose was pulled over after the Illinois State Police clocked him driving 106 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 88 in Kane County.

In June, the Bulls selected Rose with the overall No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

A Chicago native, Rose played one season at Memphis. He led the Tigers to this year's NCAA Division I title game before falling to Kansas.

NBA Raptors sign 'Aussie Shaq' Jawai

Australian 21-year-old playmaker Nathan Jawai signed a two-year contract Friday with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association, the Canadian club announced.

Jawai, nicknamed "Aussie Shaq" for his resemblance to NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, was this year's unanimous choice as Rookie of the Year in Australia's National Basketball League.

Jawai, from the northernmost area of Australia in Queensland, averaged 17.7 points and 9.6 rebounds in 30 games for the Cairns Taipans.

The Indiana Pacers selected Jawai 41st overall in last month's NBA Draft and traded his rights to Toronto as part of a deal that sent Jermaine O'Neal from the Pacers to the Raptors.

Davis back in hometown, joins Clippers

Baron Davis flashed his sparkling sense of humor often on his return to Los Angeles. He'll probably need it since he's going to be playing for the Clippers.

Arriving on the heels of the departure of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, Davis will be involved in a rebuilding period for the perennially woeful Clippers.

General manager Elgin Baylor introduced Davis at news conference on Thursday by saying he would make his remarks brief so Davis could say hello.

Davis stepped to the podium and said, "Hello." Then he paused for a few moments, as if that was all he was going to say, before chuckling and breaking into a broad grin.

Later, he talked about his friend Brand and their phone conversations after Davis decided to leave the Golden State Warriors to play for his hometown team. Brand finally bolted to Philadelphia, signing with the 76ers on Wednesday.

Asked when he last spoke to Brand, Davis said it was yesterday, laughing and adding, "I can't tell you what I said to him."

Brand, who has averaged around 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, was expected to remain with Los Angeles, but he took a five-year deal for a reported $82 million in Philadelphia. Corey Maggette, Los Angeles' leading scorer last season, essentially swapped places with Davis, signing a 5-year deal with the Warriors for approximately $50 million.

When Davis decided last week that he was going to join the Clippers, he believed Brand was going to be his teammate, but Davis insists he's gotten over any disappointment that they won't be playing together.

"I'm signed, sealed and delivered, so I'm not disappointed at all," he said. "And he's signed and he's committed."

Davis had tried to sway Brand's decision.

"I talked to him, would tell him, 'Hey, this is the best place for you, we can do great things.' But obviously he chose otherwise," Davis said. "I can't be mad at him for that. I wish Elton brand the best. He's a great guy, always going to a great player and a friend of mine. He made a decision for the future of his family.

"There's no more Elton Brand in L.A. It's my turn and a chance for the young guys to step up. Get a couple more free agents and we'll be ready to go."

Davis said he didn't consider backing out of his deal (five years, $65 million) with the Clippers because Brand wasn't going to be around.

"It didn't really matter, once I made my mind up. I'm a man of my word," Davis said. "I committed to the Clippers and they committed to me."

Team president Andy Roeser said the past few days have been tumultuous for the Clippers, but "the silver lining is that we now have one of the best point guards in the NBA."

Coach Mike Dunleavy believes the Clippers have the two key players necessary for a contending team in Davis and center Chris Kaman.

"The toughest two pieces to find are a point guard and a center," Dunleavy said. "You look around, and the teams that win are teams with good point guards."

The 29-year-old Davis, a former UCLA star who grew up in Los Angeles, averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.33 steals while playing all 82 games last season for the Warriors.

A two-time All-Star, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound point guard has averaged 17.1 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.95 steals during nine years in the league.

Since they are $12 million under the salary cap, the Clippers are courting other free agents, including guard-forward Josh Smith and frontcourt player Emeka Okafor, both restricted free agents.

AP Source: 76ers to send Carney, pick to T'wolves

The 76ers have agreed to trade forward Rodney Carney and a future No. 1 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, two people in the NBA told The Associated Press on Tuesday, in a deal that clears salary cap space for Philadelphia to make a stronger play for free agent Elton Brand.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been completed and the NBA trade moratorium is not lifted until Wednesday.

The 76ers will throw in reserve forward Calvin Booth, and acquired a future second round draft pick and Minnesota's $2.8 million trade exception gained in a 2007 deal with Miami.

"The only thing I can share with you is that Calvin's contract will be traded to Minnesota tomorrow," said Booth's agent, Mark Termini.

The deal clears the way for the Sixers to potentially offer a nearly $14 million starting salary and a long-term deal to a free agent such as Brand — and he may be on the way.

The Los Angeles Times reported, citing an unidentified NBA source, on its Web site that Brand reached a verbal agreement to sign a multiyear contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The emerging Sixers now have another $2 million in salary cap space to add to the $11 million in space available that they hope will land them the post player they badly need to become contenders in the Eastern Conference.

A proposed trade between the teams was first reported by Yahoo.com.

The Sixers had Atlanta forward Josh Smith in town for a visit last week but did not give the restricted free agent an offer sheet. As he's a restricted free agent, the Hawks can match any offer made to the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Smith.

"There are still a couple of other teams in the mix," said Wallace Prather, Smith's agent. "Philly just seemed to be the most serious at the time. There are more options out there. I guess Philly wanted to do different things on the court. No hard feelings or anything."

Brand's arrival would be a huge move for the Sixers, who have worked quickly to become contenders in the Eastern Conference. Brand is the low post player Philadelphia desperately needed, averaging 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in nine seasons. Brand played in only eight games last season because of a knee injury.

Brand opted out last week of his contract with the Clippers and had said he planned to stay with the Clippers despite his decision

Brand could make the Sixers instant contenders in the Eastern Conference. They were one of the surprise teams in the league last season, going 40-42 and stretching Detroit to six games in the first round of the playoffs. One thing they lacked was an athletic, consistent scorer at power forward.

76ers spokesman Mike Preston had no comment on Brand.

The trade allows the rebuilding Timberwolves, who have long been one of the worst cap managers in the league, to continue putting themselves in a position to be a major player on the free agent markets in 2009 and 2010.

Carney has one year remaining on his contract with a team option for 2009-10, while Booth will come off the books at the end of the upcoming season, unless a buyout agreement is reached before that.

The Timberwolves received the trade exception from the Heat because they took on less cash than they gave up in a deal last October that sent Mark Blount and Ricky Davis to Miami in exchange for Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac and Wayne Simien. That deal allowed them to rid themselves of Blount's bloated contract.

On draft night in June, the Timberwolves were able to unload Marko Jaric's hefty deal, shipping him to Memphis with O.J. Mayo, Walker and Greg Buckner for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal. All three of the Grizzlies in that deal have contracts that will expire no later than 2010.

That freedom will allow the team to pursue a big-name free agent or two to supplement a rising young core group of Al Jefferson, Randy Foye, Corey Brewer and Rashad McCants.

As a secondary prize on the court in the Philly deal, Carney will give them an athletic swingman who averaged 5.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in his second season out of Memphis. Booth, if he stays, will give the team a little more depth at center behind Jefferson and Collins.

___

AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Reports: Arenas agrees to $111M deal with Wizards

Gilbert Arenas has agreed to re-sign with the Washington Wizards for $111 million over six years, essentially taking millions less so that his team could have more financial flexibility, two newspapers reported Thursday.

Arenas told the Washington Times and Washington Post that he was offered a maximum deal in the neighborhood of $127 million on Tuesday, the first day of the free agency period.

"(The Wizards) offered me the max, and I'm basically giving back $16 million," Arenas told the Washington Times from China, where is traveling as part of promotional tour for a shoe company. "This is in line with what I've been saying the whole time. You see players take max deals and they financially bind their teams. I don't wanna be one of those players and three years down the road your team is strapped and can't do anything about it."

The three-time All-Star became a free agent after opting out of the final year of his six-year, $65 million contract. He initially said he was opting out to receive a max contract, but he later indicated he would be flexible in negotiations.

Arenas also said that he would not re-sign unless the team retained two-time All-Star forward Antawn Jamison. The Wizards lived up to that part of the bargain Monday by giving Jamison a four-year, $50 million deal.

Arenas has proven to be one of the most dynamic players in the league when healthy, but two knee operations caused him to miss most of the last season. He has averaged 22.8 points, 5.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds in his seven-season NBA career.

The Wizards cannot comment on talks with Arenas or announce the deal until a league-mandated moratorium expires next week.

"It's a relief," Arenas told the Washington Times. "It was a burden at the same time. Your whole city is depending on you, wondering if you're going to make the right decision. I'm a franchise player and sometimes franchise players need to make franchise decisions."

Beasley catches elbow, leaves first Heat practice

Michael Beasley's first official practice with the Miami Heat ended quickly.

Beasley was struck in the chest by an inadvertent elbow during a defensive drill about 45 minutes into Miami's first summer-league workout session Wednesday, and the No. 2 overall pick in last week's NBA draft was taken to a doctor for observation.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the move was strictly precautionary and should not affect Beasley's availability for Miami's five-games-in-five-days run through the Orlando summer league, which opens Monday.

"He took a shot to the chest," Spoelstra said. "He probably could have finished if it was the regular season or something like that, but we just wanted to be safe."

Spoelstra said he wasn't absolutely certain which Heat summer player was the one that struck Beasley.

"I looked and one minute he was there and the next minute he was gone," Heat guard Daequan Cook said. "I have no idea what happened."

The team did not immediately release an update on the extent of Beasley's injury or what sort of tests were being performed on the rookie, who averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds last season for Kansas State.

"He was very eager to learn what we were doing, especially defensively what we wanted to get accomplished in this practice," Spoelstra said. "When he gets back out here, he'll be fine and when we get up to Orlando, he'll be fine."

Beasley was gone by the time practice was open to reporters and not available for comment. His agent, Joel Bell, did not return a phone message.

There was one piece of good news on Wednesday for Beasley. He signed his rookie scale contract with the Heat, one that will pay him at much as $4.3 million this coming season.

Later Wednesday, Miami also announced the signings of center David Padgett and guard Jason Richards. Padgett shot 67 percent from the floor this past season at Louisville, and Richards led Division I with 293 assists as a senior at Davidson, which lost to eventual NCAA champion Kansas in the Midwest regional final.

"It seems like the best situation and the best opportunity for me, so I'm taking advantage of it," Padgett said.