Since a player that caused controversy with the Chicago Bulls two years ago, power forward Nikola Mirotic, was dealt to the Pelicans it was difficult for him to find a solid home. But his production with the Milwaukee Bucks was actually a big positive for them down the stretch.
If Mirotic didn’t plan to re-sign with the Bucks, he was set to command a lot of value on the open market. NBA teams are constantly in search of stretch forwards that can shoot the three-ball consistently. Mirotic is a career 36 percent shooter from beyond the arc and he can surely chuck them up in volume.
NBA free agent Nikola Mirotic has decided to sign with Euroleague club Barcelona, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Mirotic was in the market for $45-50M total in contract in the NBA.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2019
This offseason, Mirotic elected to take his talents back overseas with Euroleague team Barcelona. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, if Mirotic stuck out free agency in the NBA he would be seeking out around $45-$50 for his total contract. That’s not a bad deal, but there seemed to be other factors in play for Mirotic.
The Bulls were not a realistic landing spot for Mirotic, but he surely would have had a ton of other suitors. Any team that needs to add frontcourt depth and floor spacing has a spot for Mirotic. He doesn’t even need to be a starter, but his confusing saga in the NBA came to an end for now. Maybe he could re-join the NBA within the next year or two.