The New Orleans Pelicans were put in a very tough spot last week, when All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon.
There's never a good time to lose one of the best big men in the league to a serious and potentially career-altering injury, but one silver lining for the Pelicans was that the trade deadline has not arrived yet. This allowed them to go out and get some help, which they have reportedly found in Nikola Mirotic.
The Pelicans and Chicago Bulls nearly swung a deal involving Mirotic earlier in the week, but it hit a snag because of Mirotic's contract. Now, however, with the Pelicans agreeing to guarantee Mirotic's $12.5M team option for next season, the deal is on its way. Per multiple reports, the full deal will see the Pelicans acquire Mirotic and a second-round pick in exchange for a first-round pick, Omer Asik, Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen. The Bulls will waive Quincy Pondexter in order to facilitate the deal, and are likely also to waive Allen once the deal is complete. He figures to be quickly scooped up by a contender. For now, the team is reportedly planning on keeping Nelson, though he could be waived at a later date.
So, now that Mirotic looks to be finally on his way out of Chicago -- something he's wanted since the day the season started, when he was punched in the face by Bobby Portis -- how did each team fare in this swap? Let's grade the trade:
New Orleans Pelicans: B
Pelicans receive:
- Nikola Mirotic
- 2018 second-round pick
This move is a bit of a gamble for the Pelicans, but it's one they pretty much had to make. They surrendered a first-round pick, and Jameer Nelson's departure may hurt more than people expect -- though so long as Jrue Holiday and Rajon Rondo stay healthy, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.
They're also betting large on Mirotic being able to sustain his 3-point shooting. The forward is draining nearly 43 percent of his 3-point attempts, which is well above his career average of 36 percent. There's no guarantee he's going to keep bombing 3s at this high of a clip for the remainder of the season. Even if he doesn't shoot quite this well the rest of way, he should help the Pelicans, who are not exactly deep in the frontcourt.
In addition, the Pelicans got out from under Omer Asik's contract, which has been mucking up their cap sheet for years, and created roster flexibility which they hope to use to sign Greg Monroe. Plus, the deal showed the Pels are going to keep trying to win after Cousins injury, which made Anthony Davis happy.
Anthony Davis happy with the reported deal is alone good news for New Orleans.
Chicago Bulls: B+
Bulls receive:
- 2018 first-round pick
- Omer Asik
- Jameer Nelson
- Tony Allen
Mirotic did not want to be in Chicago, and frankly, his strong play this season was not helping the Bulls. Well, it was helping them win games, but that was actually hurting them in the long run. They have a nice young core, but they need another top pick in this loaded draft, and Mirotic's departure should help them get a higher pick. In dealing Mirotic, they moved one of their best players this season for a guy they won't play, and two guys they'll waive, so they definitely got worse on the floor.
They had to take on Asik's contract, but they aren't going to be signing any big-name free agents in the next few seasons anyway, so his presence on their cap sheet won't do much to hinder their long-term plans. Plus, they picked up an extra first-round pick in the process. In addition to their own pick, they now could have two top-20 picks in a very strong draft. There's no guarantee it all works out, but it's never a bad thing to add an extra young prospect to your roster.