NBA Rumors: Could the Bulls trade Nikola Mirotic for Arron Afflalo?
With the Chicago Bulls interested in Arron Afflalo, it’s going to take much more than one draft pick placed in the mid-teens to acquire a player who should’ve made the All-Star team. Matt Moore of CBS Sports suggests a trade offer that could include highly touted overseas prospect in Nikola Mirotic. From Eye on Basketball:
"Sure, there are a lot of ideas here. The Bulls have mysteriously gone silent in the Kevin Love talks over the past two weeks, and it makes you wonder. The No. 16 and No. 19 along with Euro prospect Mirotic, and either Jimmy Butler or Taj Gibson is a better offer than they’re going to get anywhere for Love. So the pick has to be on the table. Then there’s the rumored Arron Afflalo plan, which would also make sense. Packaging Mirotic and the No. 16 would probably get it done but might be too steep for Orlando."
Drafted in 2011, the Chicago Bulls kept Nikola Mirotic stashed overseas for a few years, allowing him to grow instead of rot on the bench, hoping that when they looked to bring him stateside, he could immediately impact a struggling offense. This past season in the EuroLeague, Mirotic averaged 12.4 points per game, shooting 53.7% on two-pointers and 46.1% on three-pointers. On the Magic, assuming they draft a point guard, Mirotic could come in and immediately start, providing floor-spacing and another player that can create off the dribble.
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For the Bulls, Afflalo would step into the role that was left void when Luol Deng was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Afflalo being a better shooter than Deng, him playing off of Derrick Rose (if healthy), Joakim Noah, and possibly Kevin Love/Carmelo would be the ideal situation, and this roster would propel the team to second best in the East–first best depending on what Miami decides to do.