The J-Notes
Fansided

NBA trade rumors: Nikola Mirotic ‘intrigued’ with Utah Jazz?

By Jared Woodcox

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 20: Nikola Mirotic #44 and head coach Fred Hoibergof the Chicago Bulls talk before Mirotic enters the game against the Orlando Magic at the United Center on December 20, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Magic 112-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 20: Nikola Mirotic #44 and head coach Fred Hoibergof the Chicago Bulls talk before Mirotic enters the game against the Orlando Magic at the United Center on December 20, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls defeated the Magic 112-94. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

A recent article from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski makes mention that Nikola Mirotic would be ‘intrigued’ with the idea of joining the Utah Jazz.

Buckle up, NBA fans. Whether your team is a championship contender or lottery bound, one of the most exciting times of the season that’s fun for absolutely everybody is almost upon us. That’s right – it’s trade season.

With exactly a month left until the February 8th trade deadline, you can bet that the juicy rumors are only going to continue to heat up as teams try to make the savviest possible moves to improve for a playoff push or make themselves better down the road. A few names have already been thrown around, but the momentum on said trade rumors will only start to pick up from here on out.

One guy who’s already been widely considered one of the most likely to be traded this season is the Chicago Bulls’ Nikola Mirotic. I’ve already touched in detail on what the Utah Jazz could see in pursuing him, which you can read for yourself via the link in the tweet below:

The Utah Jazz definitely figure to be major players at the trade deadline as they sort through various expiring contracts and look to make moves now that will help propel them back in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race in the not so distant future. The 2017-18 season was always set to be a year of discovery and with 40 games under their belts, you can bet the Jazz have a pretty good idea of who they would like to move and what they’ll pursue in a trade.

And if recent news from renowned NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowksi is any indication of what’s around the corner, it may very well turn out that there is indeed a match between the Utah Jazz and the formerly mentioned Nikola Mirotic. In an ESPN piece by Woj that hit the press this morning, he included an interesting quote about the Chicago Bulls big man:

"“The Bulls are still planning to trade forward Nikola Mirotic, which can’t happen until Jan. 15 or without his permission, based on his contract. Mirotic has been intrigued with the Utah Jazz, whose coach, Quin Snyder, has a reputation of maximizing offensive talent.”"

Whoa. You mean a talented guy that could potentially be a great fit that’s on a decent contract has interest in coming to Utah and playing for Quin Snyder? Especially coming from as reliable of a source as Woj, this is pretty big.

Of course, Utah would still have to find something to send to Chicago in exchange that they would agree to, which could very well be the tricky part. But something tells me that if Mirotic wants the Jazz and the Jazz want Mirotic, then Utah and Chicago may very well be able to work something out.

This is obviously all little more than speculation and rumor at this point. January 15th could pass and Mirotic could very well still be in a Bulls uniform as they wait to field varying offers, or perhaps while Mirotic is ‘intrigued’ by the Jazz, it’s possible that it’s a one-way street and Utah doesn’t share that interest.

So, take this with a grain of salt, but between a recent comment from Dennis Lindsey (see the tweet below from 1280 The Zone’s Austin Horton) on making tough decisions about likable guys at the trade deadline, knowing that the Jazz have been seeking a playmaking stretch-four and now hearing this tidbit from Adrian Wojnarowski, I honestly wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see an announcement surface in the not so distant future that Mirotic has indeed been traded to the Utah Jazz.

Again, that’s only speculation, but there’s certainly an argument to be had that the writing is on the wall.

Next: Evaluating the “tradability” of each Utah Jazz player

On a quick side note, the aforementioned Woj article also mentions that teams are “targeting the availability” of Alec Burks. Based on his subpar production this season and detrimental contract, if teams are looking at him, the Jazz absolutely should be fielding their offers. If they could get any sort of decent return for him, it would be a home run.

Meanwhile, as more news and trade rumors surface, be sure to stay tuned to TheJNotes.com where we’ll hit you with all the latest as we get it.

Home/Jazz News