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Free-agent Luol Deng meets with Heat

ByABC News
July 5, 2014, 6:43 PM

— -- Miami Heat president Pat Riley met with free-agent forward Luol Deng in Chicago on Saturday, according to league sources.

The meeting was described as "preliminary," according to a source, as Riley attempted to sell Deng on the benefits of joining the four-time defending Eastern Conference champions.

Sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard that Deng will not take a salary significantly below his market value, believed to be above $10 million annually, merely to sign with the Heat.

Deng has several suitors, including Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago and the Los Angeles Lakers, but a source said Riley's pitch intrigued him.

The challenge facing the Heat is that Riley doesn't know exactly how much money he can offer Deng because his three stars -- LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh -- have yet to sign contracts.

Deng has meetings with other teams scheduled for next week. It is not clear whether he will meet again with Miami.