Report: Heat have interest but Luol Deng not an 'attainable target' given salary demands
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Luol Deng just wants the paper. Uh huh. He just wants the pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-paper. And as such, the unrestricted free agent is reportedly unlikely to land in Miami, despite the Heat having interest.
Kyle Lowry and Luol Deng believed to be Miami's top two free-agent targets. Neither, though, seems especially attainable for Riles and Co.
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 1, 2014
Reaching out to Deng is a smart play by the Heat, who are forced to look for discounts or players willing to sign below market value to chase a ring, assuming the Big Three return. Deng's value is yet to be determined but certainly doesn't seem like where it would have been at this time last year.
If Deng's market value is down to the $10-12 million range, as some expect, perhaps he'd take a shorter deal with a lower annual hit to play for a contender and repair his value. After all, he was once thought to be an impact player but his mid-season departure had little impact on the Chicago Bulls and his mid-season arrival didn't move the needle for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As it stands, Deng is in Europe waiting to see a full list of interested teams proceeding. It's likely he can cash in as one of the top second-tier names once teams miss out on LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, though it's unlikely he'll get the $14.3 million he earned last season as an annual value.