Five things you should know about Luol Deng

The fight for free agents started late Thursday night and the Timberwolves have already reached out to Luol Deng. New Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau and Deng are expected to talk sometime Friday.

As contract talks begin between the Wolves and Deng, here are five things to know about the 31-year-old, 6-9 forward:

You might best remember him from…
Deng played nine-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls, three-plus years under Thibodeau, and appeared in eight postseasons during this stretch. He was part of the All-Rookie First Team as a 19-year-old in 2004 and won the NBA's sportsmanship award in 2007. He became a two-time All-Star and an All-Defensive standout near the end of this time in Chicago.

Where has he been the last few years…
Contract extension talks with the Bulls fell through in 2013 and in January 2014 he was traded to Cleveland. He played just 40 games with the Cavaliers and after the season signed with Miami where he has spent the past two seasons. He averaged 12.3 points, 6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1 steal and .4 blocks per game last season.

Why he might be a good fit for the Wolves …
Thibodeau grew very fond of Deng during their years together in Chicago. Also, last season Deng transformed himself into that "stretch" power forward who was outstanding in a first-round playoff series victory over Charlotte. He is probably not the defender he once was, but still plenty savvy to qualify as that type of two-way player who also can shoot. In this new cap world, he could cost well more than $15 million a season on a multi-year deal.