The Chicago Bulls and the New Orleans Pelicans have discussed a trade centered around Nikola Mirotic, but the talks have stalled for now, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Mirotic is in the midst of a career season, despite starting the year with an ugly incident where Bobby Portis punched him and broke bones in Mirotic’s face. Since returning from that injury in December, Mirotic has averaged nearly 17 points and more than six rebounds per game while recording an incredible 62.4 percent True Shooting Percentage.
The issue is Mirotic’s contract, which has a $12.5 million team option for the 2018-19 season. He signed the deal last summer, but it came with an important clause: He could veto any trades made in the first year of his contract.
Chicago could guarantee next year’s salary for Mirotic, and if they did that, the trade could be completed without Mirotic having any say in the matter. But to complete the deal without guaranteeing his 2018-19 salary — to have it remain a team option — they would need Mirotic to sign off on the deal. That appears to be where the two teams hit a snag.
New Orleans likely doesn’t see Mirotic in their long-term plans, at least not right now. They’re coming up on a fascinating free agency with DeMarcus Cousins, who they had planned to offer a five-year max to on July 1 before his torn Achilles tendon. Despite that, the team may still be interesting in bringing back Cousins, which would make Mirotic’s spot on the roster in 2018-19 redundant. Or, at least, it might — the Pelicans want the ability to make that decision with his team option when the deadline comes in June.
Because the Pelicans won’t make the trade with Mirotic guaranteed money next year, they need Mirotic’s permission to make this trade, which puts the fate of this trade in his hands. Because he’s having a career year, Mirotic could pass on the $12 million with hopes that he would make more than that this summer. Still, he’s a 26-year-old who only made $16 million his first three years in the league. If something goes wrong — an injury, poor play, the simple fact that teams might not be interested in him next summer — then he will likely lose money.
(Of course, Chicago could choose not to trade him and decline his option, making him a free agent anyway. Would it be better to remain in an environment he knows, or attempt to increase his value even further by helping New Orleans into the postseason? These are all interesting questions that Mirotic is likely debating right now.)
The deal certainly could still happen, but who can blame Mirotic taking a minute to think it through?
New Orleans lost DeMarcus Cousins for the year with a torn Achilles tendon, which sucks on many different levels. Still, after missing the playoffs the past two seasons, the Pelicans viewed themselves as buyers at this trade deadline despite the injury setback.
Mirotic could “replace” Cousins as a stretch big man, though he clearly lacks many of the qualities that make Cousins such a special player. Still, New Orleans is in a bind and this is potentially the best-case scenario for salvaging their season. A strong playoff push would hopefully drop the positioning of the outgoing first-round pick and make its absence more manageable.
Beyond the pick, it would be a relief to dump Omer Asik’s dead-weight salary, which will pay him about $22 million over the next two seasons. That would be especially great headed into this complicated New Orleans offseason, but whether that can happen remains to be seen.
Mirotic might finally be reaching his potential, but he turns 27 in February and doesn’t fit the Bulls’ rebuilding timeline. His presence hurts Chicago’s attempts to tank, and his lingering beef with Portis surely didn’t help promote a healthy locker room culture.
It has always seemed clear that the Bulls will deal Mirotic before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, and that gave teams negotiating with Chicago the upper hand. As such, a first-round pick would be an acceptable payout for Mirotic. (Though that partly depends on pick protections.) Chicago fans might balk at the reported haul, but it’s just hard to make trades in situations like this. And that’s not even counting Mirotic potentially vetoing this deal.
Bringing back Asik would be a homecoming, too, although it’s unlikely he would play much, if at all.