A person with knowledge of the negotiations says the Detroit Pistons have agreed in principle to a contract with free agent Bulls guard Ben Gordon.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday night on the condition of anonymity because NBA rules prohibit teams from announcing free agent signings until next week.
The signing would end Gordon’s Bulls career after five seasons.
Gordon would officially sign the five-year, roughly $55 million deal once the free-agent moratorium ends Wednesday.
Gordon’s decision means the Bulls would lose theNo. 3 overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft and their leading scorer for the past four seasons for nothing. The Bulls tried to keep Gordon in their long-term plans each of the last two summers, watching their five-year, $50 million and six-year, $54 million offers get rejected.
Instead, Gordon would remain in the Central Division and face his former team four times.
“I pride myself on being a professional so it’s not like I’ll have any extra motivation when I face them,” Gordon said in a recent interview. “I get up for every game.”
Gordon met with Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, and toured the team’s practice facility in Auburn Hills, Mich., early Wednesday. Dumars made clear to Raymond Brothers, Gordon’s L.A.-based agent, that signing Gordon was his No. 1 off-season priority.
Dumars then followed with the formal offer. Even in his excitement, Gordon expressed disappointment to be likely leaving the city of Chicago and a Bulls organization for which he consistently maintained he hoped to play.
“I’ve always said since the jump this is somewhere I’d like to retire, have a 15-year career, get a couple of rings,” Gordon said. “That was my idealistic thing the day I got drafted. But you never know in this business.”
Gordon averaged 18.5 points and shot 41.5 percent on 3-pointers in his Bulls career. He became the first player in NBA history to win the Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie in 2005. Ap contributed.
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Ben Gordon gets the point
As a Bull, Ben Gordon was known for his dagger-through-the-heart shots and his shooting touch from 3-point range, not his defense or ability to get everyone involved in the game. Here are his career point averages in his five years in Chicago. redeye
’04-’05
15.1 ppg
’05-’06
16.9
’06-’07
21.4
’07-’08
18.6
’08-’09
20.7
