Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Pelicans and Bulls have reached agreement in principle regarding the Mirotic trade.
Mirotic spoke with Nick Friedell of ESPN about the ups and downs of the year that was in Chicago:
"It was hard. It was really hard for me," Mirotic said. "Especially because he was my teammate. Especially the timing, the timing was basically two days before opening night and everything. After I put all the work [in] during the summer. So for a moment, I felt everything went down. But I had to be tough. I had the support of my family."
Fighting through the awkwardness and resentment, it has been understood and seen from his play that Mirotic did everything in his power to act as a professional after the unfortunate events, but in the end, he wanted out and the Bulls made it happen. You might even say the Bulls got it right for once. John Paxson spoke briefly of what was going on behind the scenes per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune:
"Niko’s representatives were consistent over the last several months that they wanted him moved,” executive vice president John Paxson said from Chicago on a conference call with reporters. “They never backed off that stance one bit. This satisfies what he wanted. More than that, it satisfies what we wanted to get out of moving him. It fits our timeline, the direction we’re going.”
In return, the Bulls free up space on the books for New Orleans, send a second-round pick their way and move a stretch-four capable of putting up big numbers who's averaging 16.8 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and an astounding 42.9 percent from behind the arc in the 25 games he's played in. The Bulls will receive former Bull, Omer Asik, Tony Allen (which is rumored to be waived), a first-round pick with few limitations, along with the opportunity to swap second-round picks, along with a locker room presence in Jameer Nelson. The Bulls spoke of the assets received and from all accounts given by the front office, they seem to be ecstatic. As I said earlier, #TankSzn is still in effect according to VP of Basketball Operations, John Paxson per K.C. Johnson:
“The draft asset we acquired in this deal was far and away the best thing we had (going in talks),” Paxson said. “It’s just consistent with the direction and plan that we talked about (last) summer when we made the (Butler) trade. Acquiring a draft asset and having salary control over a young player in the position we’re in is important and valuable to us.“As we mapped out what Niko would be looking for financially going out, that wasn’t a part of our timeline. We now have a situation where we’re invested in these young guys. Our focus remains on growth and development of them.”
So, what does it all mean?
Three takeaways
Bulls are all in on the tank
- We know this not just because of the recent events that have taken place on Thursday, but in the overall schematics from Hoiberg and Bulls management late. The return of Mirotic saw a seven-game winning streak early on and the Bulls were beginning to surge at just the right time. Then the dreams of lottery ping pong balls just wouldn't go away. In a position to make a run similar to the Miami Heat just a season ago, key players had begun to see minutes drop, Mirotic most importantly and known turnover-machine Jerian Grant saw minutes increase alongside "known shot jacker," Justin Holliday. Then you get to the Zack Lavine experiment and for Lavine's sake and the fans... well, let's just hope it's early in the rehab process for the talented guard.
The jury may still be out on Coach Fred Hoiberg, but the type of players needed for his system and in today's NBA is without a doubt. The Bulls had a 1-2 punch in Markkanen and Mirotic and ultimately decided Bobby Portis is better and we can swap A for B. Pair the stretch components of Markkanen and Mirotic with Kris Dunn(when healthy) and an improved Zack Lavine (we hope) and you go from being the young core with "potential" to a young core with expectations and promise. This move will likely always baffle me, but it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You just picked up Omer Asik for $11.2 million next season and even if Asik will only receive $3 million for 2019-20, paying a center who's playing garbage time at best is never ideal.
Rebuild
For the last three years, the Bulls have made some questionable transactions in hopes of just making it into the playoffs and being able to sell tickets two weeks longer. With a Mirotic trade, the pre-emptive waiving of Tony Allen, the Asik contract and style of play since the start of the year, Gar Forman and John Paxson finally get it. Stashing assets and holding onto draft picks a la the Boston Celtics is the way to go as long as 1) LeBron James is presently in the Eastern Conference 2) Golden State is still operating a dynasty in Oakland. With few superstars willing to relocate to Chicago in this current landscape, this is the right move for the next two to four years and the front office deserves some credit, but minimal at best—let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Anybody else?
Mentioned in trade rumors to various destinations, the next player on the roster expected to be dealt will be Center Robin Lopez. Having his best season in scoring, Lopez is averaging 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. With the Celtics rumored to be going after former Phoenix Sun Greg Monroe, Lopez would be a formidable insertion if they should swing and miss. Lopez, a fan favorite in Chicago and virtually every stop in his NBA career could provide valuable minutes and serve as a rim protector for an undersized Celtics starting five that could use his services come playoff time. As the February 8 deadline approaches, we will continue to stay updated with the dealings in Chicago and keep an eye on rumors in the coming days.
Cheers to #WojSzn and more #Wojbombs in our near future.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Pelicans and Bulls have reached agreement in principle regarding the Mirotic trade.
Mirotic spoke with Nick Friedell of ESPN about the ups and downs of the year that was in Chicago:
"It was hard. It was really hard for me," Mirotic said. "Especially because he was my teammate. Especially the timing, the timing was basically two days before opening night and everything. After I put all the work [in] during the summer. So for a moment, I felt everything went down. But I had to be tough. I had the support of my family."
Fighting through the awkwardness and resentment, it has been understood and seen from his play that Mirotic did everything in his power to act as a professional after the unfortunate events, but in the end, he wanted out and the Bulls made it happen. You might even say the Bulls got it right for once. John Paxson spoke briefly of what was going on behind the scenes per K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune:
"Niko’s representatives were consistent over the last several months that they wanted him moved,” executive vice president John Paxson said from Chicago on a conference call with reporters. “They never backed off that stance one bit. This satisfies what he wanted. More than that, it satisfies what we wanted to get out of moving him. It fits our timeline, the direction we’re going.”
In return, the Bulls free up space on the books for New Orleans, send a second-round pick their way and move a stretch-four capable of putting up big numbers who's averaging 16.8 points per game, 6.4 rebounds and an astounding 42.9 percent from behind the arc in the 25 games he's played in. The Bulls will receive former Bull, Omer Asik, Tony Allen (which is rumored to be waived), a first-round pick with few limitations, along with the opportunity to swap second-round picks, along with a locker room presence in Jameer Nelson. The Bulls spoke of the assets received and from all accounts given by the front office, they seem to be ecstatic. As I said earlier, #TankSzn is still in effect according to VP of Basketball Operations, John Paxson per K.C. Johnson:
“The draft asset we acquired in this deal was far and away the best thing we had (going in talks),” Paxson said. “It’s just consistent with the direction and plan that we talked about (last) summer when we made the (Butler) trade. Acquiring a draft asset and having salary control over a young player in the position we’re in is important and valuable to us.“As we mapped out what Niko would be looking for financially going out, that wasn’t a part of our timeline. We now have a situation where we’re invested in these young guys. Our focus remains on growth and development of them.”
So, what does it all mean?
Three takeaways
Bulls are all in on the tank
- We know this not just because of the recent events that have taken place on Thursday, but in the overall schematics from Hoiberg and Bulls management late. The return of Mirotic saw a seven-game winning streak early on and the Bulls were beginning to surge at just the right time. Then the dreams of lottery ping pong balls just wouldn't go away. In a position to make a run similar to the Miami Heat just a season ago, key players had begun to see minutes drop, Mirotic most importantly and known turnover-machine Jerian Grant saw minutes increase alongside "known shot jacker," Justin Holliday. Then you get to the Zack Lavine experiment and for Lavine's sake and the fans... well, let's just hope it's early in the rehab process for the talented guard.
The jury may still be out on Coach Fred Hoiberg, but the type of players needed for his system and in today's NBA is without a doubt. The Bulls had a 1-2 punch in Markkanen and Mirotic and ultimately decided Bobby Portis is better and we can swap A for B. Pair the stretch components of Markkanen and Mirotic with Kris Dunn(when healthy) and an improved Zack Lavine (we hope) and you go from being the young core with "potential" to a young core with expectations and promise. This move will likely always baffle me, but it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You just picked up Omer Asik for $11.2 million next season and even if Asik will only receive $3 million for 2019-20, paying a center who's playing garbage time at best is never ideal.
Rebuild
For the last three years, the Bulls have made some questionable transactions in hopes of just making it into the playoffs and being able to sell tickets two weeks longer. With a Mirotic trade, the pre-emptive waiving of Tony Allen, the Asik contract and style of play since the start of the year, Gar Forman and John Paxson finally get it. Stashing assets and holding onto draft picks a la the Boston Celtics is the way to go as long as 1) LeBron James is presently in the Eastern Conference 2) Golden State is still operating a dynasty in Oakland. With few superstars willing to relocate to Chicago in this current landscape, this is the right move for the next two to four years and the front office deserves some credit, but minimal at best—let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.
Anybody else?
Mentioned in trade rumors to various destinations, the next player on the roster expected to be dealt will be Center Robin Lopez. Having his best season in scoring, Lopez is averaging 12.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest. With the Celtics rumored to be going after former Phoenix Sun Greg Monroe, Lopez would be a formidable insertion if they should swing and miss. Lopez, a fan favorite in Chicago and virtually every stop in his NBA career could provide valuable minutes and serve as a rim protector for an undersized Celtics starting five that could use his services come playoff time. As the February 8 deadline approaches, we will continue to stay updated with the dealings in Chicago and keep an eye on rumors in the coming days.
Cheers to #WojSzn and more #Wojbombs in our near future.