By Nick Friedell (ESPN)Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah wants to sign a long-term deal with the team and hopes to have one done before the season begins in October.
Noah said his agent, Donald Dell, has already started discussing the parameters of a deal with Bulls general manager Gar Forman and the 25-year-old is confident the parties can work something out in the near future.
"Of course that's the goal," he told ESPNChicago.com after a charity event for his Noah's Arc Foundation in Queens on Friday night. "I'm not really worried about it. I think everything's going to happen with time and at the end of the day, I'm really excited about the upcoming season."
When reached by telephone Sunday night, Forman reiterated that it's the organization's policy not to speak publicly about contract negotiations.
Noah, who will make $3.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, would become a restricted free agent next season unless the Bulls extend his contract.
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