NBA: Nikola Mirotic trade to Pelicans falls apart

What's the story?

The deal that was reportedly set to move Nikola Mirotic from the Chicago Bulls to the New Orleans Pelicans has fallen apart.

In case you didn't know...

Vincent Goodwill of NBA Sports Chicago first reported the talks between the two teams. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Pelicans would consider sending another player to the Bulls if the deal were to happen.

In December, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported Mirotic asked to be dealt and was willing to waive his no-trade clause.

The heart of the matter...

The Chicago Bulls were all set to move on from Nikola Mirotic and send him to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the center Omer Asik and a first-round pick. But according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com, the deal has “fallen apart”.

The Pelicans “largest concern” is with Mirotic’s $12.5 million team option as they would like to be able to re-sign big man Demarcus Cousins in the off-season, as per Scott Kushner of The Advocate.

Mirotic traveled with the team to Portland after the failed talks prior to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, per Johnson.

Mirotic talked about his renewed love for the game in December, per 670 The Score (h/t CBS Chicago):

“It’s been a long time, I didn’t have fun, like now, playing basketball. A long, long time, especially coming after the hard moment. I need it. I need that. At the end of the day, we are all emotional. I’m talking about just last season. You probably didn’t see me like that, putting that emotion at the game. But it’s never late. Those huge plays and those huge stops, especially when you’re winning, everything gets easier. It’s been fun.”

Mirotic is averaging 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 25 games. He has been the Bulls best player after returning from the injury and the Bulls have been better with him on the floor this season, per Basketball-Reference.

What's next?

The Pelicans have lost both games after losing their All-Star, Demarcus Cousins. This unfortunate injury can impact the Pelicans’ Playoff chances. They play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Author's take

The Pelicans are in the market for a big man. Seeing that Anthony Davis was the last first-round pick to make it a full season, parting with yet another first-round pick would have drawn some criticism.