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Report: LeBron James Wants Cavs To Sign Mike Dunleavy

(CBS) The Bulls will have some big-profile competition for forward Mike Dunleavy in free agency.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

James is pushing for Cleveland to sign Dunleavy, ESPN's Marc Stein reported Tuesday. Dunleavy is hitting the open market following a season in which he averaged 9.4 points and shot nearly 41 percent from 3-point range while starting 63 games for the Bulls. Dunleavy has expressed a desire to stay in Chicago, and Stein reported he's "likely" to re-sign with the Bulls, who have said they want him back as well.

Dunleavy, 34, just finished a two-year, $6-million deal with the Bulls. He figures to command a contract somewhere in that annual range again.

For the Bulls, re-signing Dunleavy would mean entering the luxury tax, assuming Jimmy Butler returns. A max deal starting around $16 million for Butler would mean the Bulls have committed nearly $80 million for their top 10 players, plus another $1.9 million or so for the non-guaranteed contracts of E'Twaun Moore and Cameron Bairstow. The luxury tax is projected to be $81.6 million.

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