Mike Dunleavy nearing 3-year, $14.4 million contract with Bulls, per report

Free agent swingman Mike Dunleavy will sign a three-year deal with the Chicago Bulls for $14.4 million, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The third year will have a partial guarantee.

Dunleavy hit the open market this summer after the expiration of a two-year, $6 million contract he signed with the Bulls in 2013. This marks the third time the 34-year-old has been an unrestricted free agent, so he's been around this block before and is seeking out stability.

The Bulls had acquired Dunleavy to provide shooting and he did just that. The veteran's defense leaves much to be desired but over the past five seasons he's shot better than 40 percent from three-point range. That puts him among the premier shooters in the league, and while there's not much else to his game, the efficient offense is valuable. During the 2014-15 season, Dunleavy averaged nine points and four rebounds in 63 games (all starts).

Those first two years in Chicago went well for Dunleavy so it makes sense he would want to return. The team is turning to a more offensive-minded coach in Fred Hoiberg, and that can only bode well given Dunleavy's style. It'll be interesting to see how long Dunleavy can keep playing at this level given that he's been around since 2002, but shooting tends to age better than a lot of other skills.

The move is also interesting for the Bulls because it takes away a key target from their division rival. LeBron James reportedly wanted the Cavaliers to sign Dunleavy, and if the past year has given any indication, there's no player with greater influence over his team's personnel matters. Dunleavy apparently couldn't be sold by the chance to play with LeBron, however, and now will return to Chicago through the 2017-18 season.