We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com.
Will the Bulls trade Nikola Mirotic in January? If so, what’s his value around the league? Personally I like his game, but if he’s not willing to play … Gotta receive something in return. — Hasun Rogers, via Twitter
The question stems from Mirotic’s refusal to forgive teammate Bobby Portis for their training camp skirmish that left Mirotic hospitalized with two broken facial bones. Representatives for Mirotic have told the Bulls he doesn’t want to be part of the team as long as Portis still is, which leaves the organization in an awkward position. Mirotic was expected to miss four to six weeks and it has been 31 days since the incident, so he should be cleared to return soon. Portis is playing well, averaging 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds since returning from a suspension, making him unlikely to be dealt.
Executive VP John Paxson made his stance clear this week, telling reporters, “They are adults. This is our workplace. They’re both part of the team. I think it’s pretty simple.” If Mirotic won’t return with Portis still there, it could lead to a standoff with the team and an eventual suspension. He can’t be traded until January 15 due to the terms of the contract he signed in the offseason. As far as trade value, keep in mind that Mirotic was on the market all summer without receiving an offer, so Chicago shouldn’t expect much in return.
The Sacramento Kings had good crop of rookies drafted recently, plus veterans Zach Randolph and Vince Carter, but they seem to have regressed vastly this early season. What do you think is wrong with the team? — Greg Dizon
The main problem with the Kings is that they’re in the very early stages of a rebuilding project. It started with last year’s trade of DeMarcus Cousins, and this year’s draft class was the second step. De’Aaron Fox might be a future star, but he’s only 19 and still learning how to play in the NBA. Fellow first-rounder and fellow teenager Harry Giles won’t play until at least January because of his injury history.
It will be interesting to see how long Sacramento holds on to Randolph, Carter and George Hill, who were brought in to be mentors to the young talent. Carter has a one-year, $8MM deal, so he should be easy to move to a contender by the deadline. But Randolph is signed for one more season at nearly $11.7MM and Hill will make $19MM next season and a non-guaranteed $18MM in 2019/20, so they might both be with the Kings beyond this year.
Will the Knicks sign LeBron James? — Tyler Eisloeffel, via Twitter
Only LeBron knows what he’s planning for July, and he may need to see how things play out for the rest of the season before deciding. Staying with the Cavaliers and joining the Lakers are the two safest bets, but the Knicks could be a dark horse if they stay in the playoff race and Kristaps Porzingis remains an MVP candidate. New York projects to have about $32MM in cap space, although player options for Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn and Ron Baker could bring that figure down. Let’s say that the Knicks’ chances to land LeBron were zero when Phil Jackson was around, and are a little bit higher now.
Lol Lebron is not going to the Knicks.
Mirotic and the right to flip/flop #1s in 2021 to the Lakers for Luol Deng and Brandon Ingram. Lakers clearly don’t want to trade Ingram, but they will have to in order to unload Deng’s horrible contract and clear enough cap space to sign two max FA over the summer.
I believe the suspension Bobby Portis received did not serve the correct purpose. The correct purpose, in my humble opinion, would be manage the anger that lives in Bobby Portis.
Or the stupidity that lives inside of Mirotic. Interesting how you put the onus on Portis, when according to all accounts, Mirotic charged at Portis 2 x’s. Portis walked away after the first one, then here comes Mirotic again after being warned. The Bulls if smart will dump Mirotic.
Are there any specific persons with that account of the incident? As opposed to anonymous sources of Woj.
If the Bulls planned to retain Portis, they would be motivated to slant the situation, since there is no video to reference.
“They are adults. This is our workplace. They’re both part of the team. I think it’s pretty simple.”
There is a law in this country about maintaining a safe workplace. Adults are not allowed to punch each other in the face in fits of anger. I think the fault lies with the Bulls and Portis far more than Mirotic wanting a safe place to work. If someone at my work broke my jaw, I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled to go back and work with him either. I would expect him to be fired.