Bulls' plans for Mirotic on hold
Having mentioned Nikola Mirotic, it is worth noting that he would be a very difficult guy to pry from the Bulls, who have big plans for him. Mirotic is just 22 and was the Spanish League MVP, which basically means he was the best player in the best league outside the NBA. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.4 rebounds in 23.9 minutes for Real Madrid.
Mirotic is a big part of the reason why the Bulls would be unlikely to consider a trade of Joakim Noah for LaMarcus Aldirdge, as has been rumored. Ultimately, the Bulls want Mirotic to replace Carlos Boozer, hopefully starting in 2014-’15—a prospect made difficult by his contract in Spain, which has a large buyout through ’16.
But if the Bulls can pay Mirotic enough to have him pay the buyout himself (because it will be three years since he had been drafted, Mirotic won’t be tied to the NBA’s rookie salary scale), they will get a versatile big man who shot 41.7 percent from the 3-point line in Spain last year, and his perimeter shooting would pair nicely with Noah’s frenetic interior play.
“He has a big-time skill set,” one scout said. “When they drafted him (in 2011), it was hard to tell how he would develop, if he would bulk up and become a useful big man or if he was going to stay on the perimeter and be a Bargnani-type. But he has come along really nicely, he is an effort guy and he has made big leaps in terms of what he can do in the post.”
