Source: Noah, Bulls continue ‘positive dialogue’

7:57 PM ET

CHICAGO — Veteran Bulls center Joakim Noah, his representatives and the Chicago front office continue to have a “positive dialogue” about a new contract amid a report that the former All-Star has been telling teammates he’s ready to leave the franchise, a league source told ESPN.com on Wednesday.

Those close to Noah are still hopeful that he will be able to work out an agreement to stay in Chicago long term.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday that Noah has been telling teammates he is ready to leave the Bulls. According to an unnamed player quoted in the report, Noah “has no trust in the front office getting this in the right direction.”

Joakim Noah, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, has spent his entire nine-year career with Chicago. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

For his part, Noah, 31, has repeatedly discussed how much he loves the city and enjoys playing in Chicago, where he has spent his entire nine-year NBA career. At an end-of-season news conference in April, Bulls executive vice president John Paxson discussed how fond he is of Noah.

“Anyone who has been around us, anybody who has spoken to either [general manager Gar Forman] or I about Joakim, they know how we feel about him,” Paxson said. “He represents a lot of things that we believe in. To me, he’s one of the most genuine people I’ve …

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