Mirotic about to be traded to Pelicans (Update: Deal back on)

[MattyIce]

Tony Allen's reportedly gonna be waived. Bring him home Danny!! (about 20% serious here)

good chance he'll find his way to okc

[MattyIce]

Yikes, not good for our chances with Monroe 

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Chicago could take one or two more minimum expiring players in the trade, which would help create roster space for Pels to sign Greg Monroe too, league sources tell ESPN. Bulls send a second round pick and the right to exchange seconds in the 2021 Draft with Pelicans.

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania

Sources: Chicago has traded forward Nikola Mirotic to New Orleans for Omer Asik, Tony Allen and a first-round draft pick.

Pels still need to make an additional move to afford Monroe I think.  They’re too close to the hard cap if Bobby Marks has it correct earlier this year.  They literally couldn’t have done the Mirotic deal without sending Tony Allen because the $1.9 million more that Mirotic makes over Asik put them above the hard cap.  TA was not included just to make room for Monroe.  Woj is good in scoops, but the cap details often elude him.

jameer nelson included

[Erik]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

[GreenEnvy]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

Sending a message to AD: “we are doing everything we can to not make you hate us”

[celticinorlando]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

Sending a message to AD: “we are doing everything we can to not make you hate us”

Giving away that number one pick is going to hurt

[saltlover]

Yikes, not good for our chances with Monroe 

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Chicago could take one or two more minimum expiring players in the trade, which would help create roster space for Pels to sign Greg Monroe too, league sources tell ESPN. Bulls send a second round pick and the right to exchange seconds in the 2021 Draft with Pelicans.

Shams Charania @ShamsCharania

Sources: Chicago has traded forward Nikola Mirotic to New Orleans for Omer Asik, Tony Allen and a first-round draft pick.

Pels still need to make an additional move to afford Monroe I think.  They’re too close to the hard cap if Bobby Marks has it correct earlier this year.  They literally couldn’t have done the Mirotic deal without sending Tony Allen because the $1.9 million more that Mirotic makes over Asik put them above the hard cap.  TA was not included just to make room for Monroe.  Woj is good in scoops, but the cap details often elude him.

jameer nelson included

Okay, that makes sense then. NO is now about $2 million under the hard cap.

[Roy H.]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

Sending a message to AD: “we are doing everything we can to not make you hate us”

Giving away that number one pick is going to hurt

Yep. It reminds me of the Kings giving away lottery picks for pocket change. You can’t save the bad franchises from themselves.

[jambr380]

It depends on where the Pelicans end up, but I don’t hate the deal from their perspective. They trade a totally useless player making ~$12M/yr for two years after this one for a very effective player making around the same amount, but just through next year.

Not only do they get out of a large chunk of future salary obligations, but they can actually play the player they are getting in return major minutes. If that comes at the price of a mid-1st and keeps them afloat until Cousins returns (assuming they max him out), then it is a very shrewd move; it also should keep Davis from ‘demanding’ a trade.

[fairweatherfan]

Shams: Chicago will waive Quincy Pondexter to make roster room for the trade.

In related news, Quincy Pondexter is still in the league.

[Monkhouse]

It depends on where the Pelicans end up, but I don’t hate the deal from their perspective. They trade a totally useless player making ~$12M/yr for two years after this one for a very effective player making around the same amount, but just through next year.

Not only do they get out of a large chunk of future salary obligations, but they can actually play the player they are getting in return major minutes. If that comes at the price of a mid-1st and keeps them afloat until Cousins returns (assuming they max him out), then it is a very shrewd move; it also should keep Davis from ‘demanding’ a trade.

That is how I see it. They clearly still need wing depth, but they give up a first round pick for an absolutely terrible player that would just sit on the bench, and this allows them to play Mirotic at the 4, with Davis at the 5. I don't know how I feel about Davis banging up with centers, but they needed to make a move, and they needed to do it now to establish good standing with Davis lest he demand a trade by next year.

[GreenEnvy]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

Sending a message to AD: “we are doing everything we can to not make you hate us”

Giving away that number one pick is going to hurt

What kind of message would that be sending if they didn’t bring in pretty good player in Mirotic because they want to hold onto their mid-first?

Hang in their Brow. We are drafting guys that can help you in three years.


Every move they are going to make is a panic move, and it’s understandable. They need to appease him, even if they have to make some shortsighted deals.

[rondofan1255]

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

New Orleans is planning to guarantee the $12.5M salary of Mirotic in the 2018-19 season, league sources tell ESPN. That clinched a deal. Omer Asik and a future first-rounder part of package to Bulls, league source tells ESPN.

Wow. Wonder if the pick is lottery protected...

[Erik]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

Sending a message to AD: “we are doing everything we can to not make you hate us”

Giving away that number one pick is going to hurt

What kind of message would that be sending if they didn’t bring in pretty good player in Mirotic because they want to hold onto their mid-first?

Hang in their Brow. We are drafting guys that can help you in three years.


Every move they are going to make is a panic move, and it’s understandable. They need to appease him, even if they have to make some shortsighted deals.

A message of competence?

I mean I don't know the answer to your question because I would have already shipped AD for LAL18, Tatum, Brown + filler if I were the Pelicans GM.

If your argument is that he has to sabotage his team's future to fail to create a facade to keep AD happy, in my opinion he's already lost sight of his job. How is AD going to be happy by either missing the playoffs or getting bounced in the first round? He needs to think future and either move AD or make incremental positive moves, like Danny did, to create a future for AD to want to stick around in.

[GreenEnvy]

Not sure what is going on in Dell Demps mind. Giving away a future 1st to miss the playoffs? Going after Greg Monroe? This team isn't going anywhere and yet they're grasping at every straw they can find. They need to just blow it up already. I want to see the protections on this pick because it could be a future lotto pick.

Terrible deal, Terrible GM.

Sending a message to AD: “we are doing everything we can to not make you hate us”

Giving away that number one pick is going to hurt

What kind of message would that be sending if they didn’t bring in pretty good player in Mirotic because they want to hold onto their mid-first?

Hang in their Brow. We are drafting guys that can help you in three years.


Every move they are going to make is a panic move, and it’s understandable. They need to appease him, even if they have to make some shortsighted deals.

A message of competence?

I mean I don't know the answer to your question because I would have already shipped AD for LAL18, Tatum, Brown + filler if I were the Pelicans GM.

If your argument is that he has to sabotage his team's future to fail to create a facade to keep AD happy, in my opinion he's already lost sight of his job. How is AD going to be happy by either missing the playoffs or getting bounced in the first round? He needs to think future and either move AD or make incremental positive moves, like Danny did, to create a future for AD to want to stick around in.

We aren’t privy to their relationship and what AD is relaying to the team. He still seems happy there. They want to continue building around him. They shipped off a bad contract in Asik for someone who can actually help. Getting rid of bad contracts cost something, like a pick. This wasn’t the Lakers/Kings pick they shipped off. At best it will be a mid-teens pick. I don’t see how this Mirotic deal was bad for them, at all.

And it’s easy to say what deal you’d make when you don’t know what Danny has offered. Maybe Danny laughs at that proposal.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

New Orleans is planning to guarantee the $12.5M salary of Mirotic in the 2018-19 season, league sources tell ESPN. That clinched a deal. Omer Asik and a future first-rounder part of package to Bulls, league source tells ESPN.

Wow. Wonder if the pick is lottery protected...

Does this mean they are moving on from Cousins?

They have 95.3 million dollars committed to 9 players next year: Davis (25.4), Holliday (26.1), Hill (12.2), Mirotic (12.5), Moore (8.8 ), Miller (2.2), Ajinca (5.3), Diallo (1.5), and Jackson (1.4). Assuming the other 4 players of the roster make 5 million total, that puts them at 100 million. A max for Demarcus cousins would start at 30.9 in the first year. That puts them at 130.9.

The hard cap next year is roughly 129 million.

Obviously, they could trade Moore or Hill (if anyone wants them), or stretch Ajinca. But that is a thin team without the hope of winning next year, but still paying a luxury tax bill.