The Bulls believe a contract in the neighborhood of $60 million over six seasons is fair for Ben Gordon.

"We will continue to talk to Ben's representative (Raymond Brothers) and look for ways to get him signed," General Manager John Paxson said in an e-mail statement.

"Every contract and negotiation is different, but we value Ben and respect the part he has played for us the past four seasons and certainly want him to be a part of our future, as well."

The issue with Gordon isn't so much whether he deserves more than $9.9 million per season but whether he can get a better contract from another team, either in the NBA or Europe.

So far, the sign-and-trade interest in Gordon has been minimal.