<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Darius Songaila can hardly bear the thought of spending another summer as an NBA free agent, uncertain of where he?ll live until a few weeks before training camp begins. ?Nobody wants to do that,? he said. ?That?s been my summers ever since I came out of college (at Wake Forest). Every summer has been the same ? waiting to see what happens and waiting for the contract. It?s not fun just waiting for that phone call to say, ?OK, we?ve got something done.? But that?s the business side of basketball.? The 6-foot-9 power forward endured such an experience last year. He originally thought he would return for a third season in Sacramento. But when the Kings landed free agent Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Songaila was forced to find a new home and joined the Bulls. The relationship has gone well. Songaila is the Bulls fifth-leading scorer at 9.1 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and 81.7 percent at the foul line. He?s one of only two players (Andres Nocioni is the other) to appear in all 61 games. This summer, the Lithuania native will have the option of becoming a free agent or accepting the second year of his Bulls contract worth about $3 million. ?I definitely would like to stay,? Songaila said. ?It?s hard to say how things are going to work out. But I definitely want to stay. The guys on the team have been great. The whole experience with Chicago and everything has been really good.? Songaila said it?s too early to tell if he?d consider not opting out of his contract. Since this is only his third NBA season, Songaila would be a restricted free agent if the Bulls make a qualifying offer, which gives them the right to match an offer from another team. ?Obviously, it?s not over yet,? he said. ?We?ve got to make this final push to make the playoffs to make things even better. The first couple months, because of my own fault, I wasn?t playing as well. I?ve just been getting in better shape since then and getting used to the team.? Songaila usually spends his summers playing for Lithuania?s national team but took last year off, and he thinks that may have contributed to his slow start with the Bulls. Songaila is planning to play in the FIBA World Championships in Japan this summer. His trademark move with the Bulls has been the soft, high-arching, 18-foot jumper. But Songaila has also been able to score in the post and is a smart defender.</div> Source
He gives them one of those veteran, grind it out, hard working hustle guys. He's the one frontcourt player I hope we retain. As far as free agent wise. He gives us a banger, a guy who can step out, and he's a heady player on the court aswell.
As long as he does not demand an outrageous amount of money I have no problem keeping him on the team. Anything under three million a year, and I’m straight with it. However, if we get into the five million dollar price range. I hope we don’t try to retain him.
