Ever since the unfortunate incident between Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis just prior to the season beginning, the power forward out of Montenegro has wanted out of Chicago. Even as he's helped lead the Bulls' shocking turnaround, Mirotic has still made it clear that he prefers to be traded.
The good news for him, is that according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, the team is in agreement with his request, and will plan to trade him once Jan. 15 passes. Mirotic, because of the contract he signed in the offseason, is not eligible to be traded until the 15th.
Perhaps most interesting about Wojnarowski's report, however, is not that the Bulls want to trade Mirotic. That much makes sense. What's intriguing is that Mirotic -- who has a no trade clause -- is interested in joining up with Quin Snyder and the Utah Jazz. Via ESPN:
The Bulls are still planning to trade forward Nikola Mirotic, which can't happen until Jan. 15 or without his permission, based on his contract. Mirotic has been intrigued with the Utah Jazz, whose coach, Quin Snyder, has a reputation of maximizing offensive talent.
It's not clear whether the Jazz are interested in Mirotic, or even what a deal would look like. However, they certainly could use the offensive production Mirotic could provide. Entering Monday's slate of games, the Jazz rank 19th in the league with an offensive rating of 103.9.
Whether Mirotic gets his wish and goes to Utah or not, it certainly seems that it's just a matter of when, not if, Mirotic gets dealt.
