Utah Jazz NBA Trade Rumors: Team Misses Out on Acquiring Nikola Mirotić
It seems the Utah Jazz's reluctance to part ways with a first-round draft pick may have cost them the chance to acquire Nikola Mirotić.
Utah have tried their best to land Mirotić in the past couple of weeks, and the Montenegrin–Spanish forward was reportedly "intrigued" with the idea of playing for the Jazz because of the presence of head coach Quin Snyder.
But in the end, the Jazz's offer just wasn't good enough and the Chicago Bulls decided to ship Mirotić and a second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Turkish center Ömer Aşık, point guard Jameer Nelson, defensive specialist Tony Allen, and a future first-round draft pick. The pick is reportedly top-five protected in 2018.
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"The draft asset that we acquired in this deal was far and away the best that we got. It's just consistent with the direction, the plan that talked about," Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said in a conference call with the media after the trade was made, via NBA.com.
Mirotić would have fit in seamlessly into the Jazz's system because of his ability to stretch the floor with his outside shooting. He would have been the perfect frontcourt partner for center Rudy Gobert.
"Missing out on Nikola Mirotic feels like a let-down to many Jazz fans who were anxious to see the big man in Utah, especially since he'd shown such an interest in playing for Quin Snyder. He certainly was an intriguing fit and several reports confirmed that Jazz brass was indeed seriously pursuing him," Jared Woodcox said in his column for The J-Notes.
Mirotić may no longer be available, but the Jazz still have a week to work on other deals so it will be interesting to see if they will keep forward Derrick Favors and guard Rodney Hood.
