Portland Trail Blazers: 5 potential deals before 2018 NBA trade deadline
By Ty Delbridge
4. Nikola Mirotic
Nikola Mirotic is having a career year. Playing in his fourth season for the Chicago Bulls, Mirotic is averaging 17.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game 48.6 percent shooting from the field and 44.7 percent shooting from the 3-point line.
He had a rough start to the season after he fought with teammate Bobby Portis. Mirotic asked for a trade soon after the fight and apparently hasn’t changed his mind.
He has a no-trade clause, and that means he has the right to block any trade. Mirotic is set to make $12.5 million this season and $12.5 million next season with a team option.
If Mirotic accepted a trade to the Blazers, he would fit right in. The Blazers need a power forward that can space the floor and knock down shots. If they started Mirotic at the power forward, they could move Al-Farouq Aminu to the small forward and have a lineup of Lillard, McCollum, Aminu, Mirotic and Jusuf Nurkic.
The Blazers would then have a full bench with Evan Turner, Shabazz Napier, Ed Davis, Pat Connaughton, Zach Collins and Maurice Harkless. Portland could have a year and a half of Nikola Mirotic and figure out if he is a part of their plans after that.
Why the Bulls might do this trade
Nikola Mirotic wants out of Chicago and the Bulls are going to be in rebuild mode after this season. A trade with the Blazers would make sense for them.
They get a young wing on a good contract in Harkless. Meyers Leonard has a bad contract, but he is a stretch-big similar to Mirotic. The Bulls could afford to give Leonard more playing time and see if he can be a useful player for them. And because the Bulls take on Leonard’s contract, they gain a first round pick from the Blazers.