"He is only 23 years old and one of the best young small forwards in the game," general manager John Paxson said. "So we are happy to have the contract done."

Deng suffered from back and Achilles' tendon injuries last season, while his numbers dropped a bit from the 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds he averaged in 2006-07. But the Bulls remain confident that Deng, who is just 23, will continue to improve.

While Deng hired Levien to do his negotiating this summer, Paxson also removed himself from the day-to-day task of hammering out a new contract. Player personnel director Gar Forman handled the bulk of communications with Levien.

"My personality is such that sometimes it's good for me to take a step back and view it a little less emotionally," Paxson said. "There's a plan in place for how we want to go about the discussions. I don't think it matters too much who's doing the talking as long as we end up on the same page at the end of the day, which we did."

Deng's new contract leaves the Bulls with two major tasks left to complete. First, they are hoping to sign their other restricted free agent, guard Ben Gordon, who has become frustrated with the pace of contract negotiations. If that happens, they'll need to thin out a crowded backcourt that also includes Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Thabo Sefolosha and top draft pick Derrick Rose.