Luol Deng Reiterates: 'I Don't Think Danny Ferry Is Racist'

Luol Deng, the subject of the much-publicized racist comments uttered by Hawks general manager Danny Ferry this offseason, revealed at the Miami Heat's media-day festivities that he did not believe Ferry was racist:

Beyond that, he explicitly stated that he forgave the GM who is currently taking a leave of absence and ceding control of personnel decisions to head coach Mike Budenholzer: 

It's not the first time we've heard of Deng's willingness to forgive and forget, though this is the first time the words have come directly from him without a secondhand source delivering them. On Sep. 12, Hawks swingman and noted sharpshooter Kyle Korver spoke with Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, revealing the following about his former teammate: 

"

Yeah we did speak. Luol is such a good guy. And he's been through so much in life that I don't really think this has really even phased him. He told me that he didn't think that Danny or anyone with the Hawks was racist. He said he was shocked when he heard what was said, but that sometimes things just slip out. It was pretty amazing, really. He just wants everything to move on. He wants to get back to basketball.

"

"It was professional of Korver to even comment on the difficult subject right now, and it's unfortunate that all of the Hawks players are going to be stuck in the middle of this," James Herbert wrote for CBS Sports shortly after Korver's remarks were made public. "Korver had nothing to do with the scouting report [...] and he will surely be asked many more questions about it all when training camp begins."

At this point, that's the key behind the whole story. 

David Goldman/Associated Press

The Hawks management remains in a state of flux, with majority owner Bruce Levenson still preparing to sell the team once a suitable and financially able buyer emerges. Ferry's fate is unknown, as there's no telling how much credibility he'll maintain when and if he returns from his indefinite leave of absence. Atlanta is presumably taking a hit as a free-agency landing spot as well, though it's not as though the city was ever a major draw for prominent players on the open markets. 

"[There] ain't nobody [who] would want to go there," Carmelo Anthony said at the Citi Carmelo Anthony Basketball camp shortly after Ferry's remarks leaked, per ESPN.com's Ian Begley. "At the end of the day, Atlanta, I think it puts Atlanta back even further now, from that standpoint."

Deng's Heat will face the Hawks for the first time in the preseason on Oct. 14, and it appears the small forward will be focused on his game, not the news stories that have surrounded his name in the offseason.