Bulls operations chief John Paxson engaged in preliminary contract talks Tuesday with Eddy Curry's agent, Leon Rose, who was in town to visit his client.

''We had a good discussion,'' Paxson said. ''Again, we're just in the beginning stages of this thing. You look at how long this thing with Tyson [Chandler] has gone on, and Leon and I have just started on Eddy. There are a lot of issues to work through with Eddy.''

Not the least of which is how much guaranteed money is tied to the health of Curry, whose 2004-05 season was cut short because of heart problems. The NBA's insurance carrier declined to cover Curry's condition, and Rose and the Bulls have been trying to find another avenue to insure him.

Ultimately, there might not be an insurance company willing to offer such a policy. Or the premium might be very costly.

''That's going to be an issue in terms of who assumes the risk of the deal,'' Paxson said. ''That is something we talked about.''

According to Dennis Rodman's agent, Darren Prince, after several conversations with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, "We were expecting nothing less than an offer for a 10-day contract within 48 hours."

But, Prince said, the offer never came and Gilbert stopped taking his calls.

Now, with training camp opening at the beginning of October, Prince wonders why the Cavs wouldn't consider bringing Rodman to training camp this fall since they were so interested last spring.

Prince said that since Rodman played with Michael Jordan, he'd like to play with LeBron James. According to Prince, Rodman views James as "an up-and-coming Michael."

"We'll fly ourselves out there," Prince said in a telephone interview.

"We just want an open invitation to come in and show what he can still do. . . . Bring him in on a non-guaranteed contract. We'll run that risk."

According to a Cavaliers spokesman, Prince and Rodman initiated all the contact last spring and Gilbert merely took their calls.

The Bulls are expected to make an offer soon to Darius Songaila, a restricted free agent with Sacramento.

They will use the remaining $2.2 million from their midlevel exception on Songaila, and the Kings are unlikely to match.

An urgent message is being sent to the Bulls:

Before signing free-agent power forwards Malik Allen and Darius Songaila, consider adding a seven-time NBA rebounding leader instead.

Of course, there?s a catch. The available player is 44-year-old Dennis Rodman, whose last appearance in an NBA uniform came in 2000 when he spent 12 games with the Dallas Mavericks.

Then again, Rodman was wildly popular here when he played for the Bulls? three championship teams from 1995-98, as much for his off-court antics as his ferocious defense.

?He would love to come back,? said Rodman?s agent, Darren Prince. ?He loves the people of Chicago, loves the city. I?m sure the fans would embrace him. All we?ve asked is to come in for a tryout.?

Bulls general manager John Paxson acknowledged that he has taken a few phone calls from Prince, but he chose not to comment on Rodman. It?s safe to say the 6-foot-8 showman does not rank high on the Bulls? wish list.

?I?m in constant contact with several GMs, but no one has pulled the trigger yet,? Prince said. ?His top choices are L.A. and Chicago. He would love to reunite with Phil Jackson (on the Lakers), and he would love to go back to Chicago. Both cities love him.?

The Bulls have offered Tyson Chandler a guaranteed contract in the neighborhood of Samuel Dalembert's six-year, $64 million deal with Philadelphia, which isn't a stunning development given the similarities between the two big men.

In Chandler's case, however, it doesn't seem to be enough.

A source familiar with the negotiations confirmed the offer, and it is believed the Bulls are offering incentives that could make the deal more lucrative for their 7-foot-1-inch restricted free agent.

Just how much guaranteed money Chandler wants is unclear. His agent, Jeff Schwartz, did not respond to a message left Monday afternoon.

An agreement doesn't appear imminent, but Bulls general manager John Paxson said he isn't discouraged, perhaps because he and Schwartz have a strong rapport.

"We feel we're treating Tyson fairly in this," Paxson said. "Both Jeff and I feel we've made good arguments for our sides and have brought up concerns for both of us. Both sides are operating in good faith."

The Bulls' pursuit of restricted free agent Darius Songaila continues, and it hardly will be a surprise if the 6-foot-8-inch power forward gets an offer soon from general manager John Paxson.

Songaila visited Paxson at the Berto Center on Wednesday, but several teams remain interested in the Lithuanian who averaged 7.5 points and 4.2 rebounds last season for Sacramento.

The Kings are unlikely to match an offer.

The Sacramento Kings will not match an offer sheet given to restricted free agent Darius Songaila, according to numerous league sources.

Kings general manager Geoff Petrie even suggested to the Sacramento Bee that his team?s roster is complete, except for the future addition of a low-cost 13th man.

?The roster we have at the moment, the way it?s comprised, are the guys who will play all the minutes,? Petrie said.

If that?s the case, Songaila appears headed to the Bulls. Before finishing a two-day visit to the Berto Center on Thursday, the 6-foot-9 forward spent time checking out real estate, according to one source.

The Bulls could sign Songaila to an offer sheet using their remaining salary-cap exception (worth either $1.7 million or $2.2 million) but may spend a few more days trying to orchestrate a three-team deal that would allow them to pay Songaila a higher salary.

In theory, the Bulls could send shooting guard Eric Piatkowski to a team with salary-cap room or a trade exception.

Sacramento would get a draft pick in the deal and the Bulls could pay Songaila a starting salary of up to $3.85 million. The chances of that happening, however, may be remote.

General Manager John Paxson knows his two biggest goals this summer is re-sign his two biggest players, Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.

Chandler seems to be a lock in signing with the Bulls, especially when you consider the health issues that Curry has been dealing with for the better part of five months. The Compton native will be looking for a contract similar to the one that was recently given to Philadelphia 76er?s Samuel Dalembert, which stands at around 60 million dollars over six years.

Last year, Chandler emerged as one of the more dominating interior defenders in the NBA, averaging 9.7 rebounds per game and 1.76 blocks. Though Chandler only tallied 8 points per game, he is not being paid for his offensive ability. His game around the basket consists of put backs from offensive rebounds and ducks. The scoring from the post usually comes from Curry.

Sacramento forward Darius Songaila visited the Berto Center on Wednesday to meet with Bulls general manager John Paxson and the coaching staff.

Songaila is a restricted free agent and it?s unclear whether the Bulls plan to sign him to an offer sheet or try to negotiate a trade with the Kings. Complicating matters is the fact that Sacramento?s payroll is already above the luxury-tax threshold, so the Kings do not want to take on any players in return.

?We?re going to pursue this (the Bulls? interest) and hopefully it will work itself out,? said Songaila?s agent, Mark Bartelstein.

The Bulls could sign Songaila to an offer sheet using their remaining salary-cap exception (most likely worth $2.2 million) and hope the Kings don?t match. But they could not send a draft pick to Sacramento in exchange for the 27-year-old native of Lithuania without giving up an equal salary in return.

Bartelstein raised the possibility of involving a third team that has a trade exception available as a way to send Sacramento a draft pick, but he is not sure how things will play out. The Bulls are willing to include shooting guard Eric Piatkowski, who will make $3 million next season, in a trade.

The Chicago Bulls announced today the team has re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Othella Harrington. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

?Othella was a valuable contributor in many different ways last season. Having him back will add to the continuity of the team and further facilitate the development of our young big players,? said Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.