Chicago Bulls: Why is Nikola Mirotic still on this team?

With every passing day, the fact that Nikola Mirotic still plays for the Chicago Bulls gets more and more puzzling.

Okay, Chicago Bulls front office: this is starting to get a little irritating.

I know that you guys really want to get the best deal for Nikola Mirotic that you possibly can. I don’t blame you for that.

After all, this is the first time that trading Mirotic could and should realistically net you a first-round pick in return. His streaky play over his first four seasons certainly made things difficult when they tried to demand that value for him in the past.

And I understand why a straight-up trade with the Utah Jazz swapping Mirotic and Derrick Favors doesn’t really appeal to you.

Sure, just offloading Mirotic sounds great, and Favors won’t help the Chicago Bulls win much, which helps the tanking efforts. But Favors doesn’t have the value of a first-round pick and doesn’t get you closer to a title. Again, I get that.

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Plus, maybe you’re trying to find a way to also package up Robin Lopez (which you should) and maybe Jerian Grant/Justin Holiday. That’s a pretty good idea, and hopefully it would increase your chances of getting a first-round pick from someone. Why just take the first deal that comes along if it doesn’t get you what you want?

See, I can logically understand, to an extent, why Mirotic is still on this team four days after the restriction on trading him officially lifted.

That said, why is Mirotic still on this team?

Seriously. Maybe the impatience is irrational to a point, but it’s hard not to be frustrated as a Chicago Bulls fan?

Is literally no one willing to get the Bulls commensurate value for Mirotic/whatever package you’ve put together? I’m more inclined to believe that they’re being unrealistic in their return demands. After all, they do that just about every season (and then, of course, they end up trading for Cameron Payne).

And while they’re twiddling their thumbs on trading Mirotic, he’s making the Bulls way better than they should be.

Though there’s some value to Kris Dunn, Lauri Markkanen and Zach LaVine excelling and lifting the Chicago Bulls, Mirotic isn’t doing this team any favors. As they’re looking to jettison him, I doubt he’s part of their long-term plans.

And yet, here they are, allowing him to lead them to 14-8 since their 3-20 record had them perfectly in position for the #1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

And there he was on Wednesday, dropping 24 points in 27 minutes, six boards, three assists and steals and a block. A slightly worse team than the Golden State Warriors probably would’ve lost that game, which we really don’t want.

Every day after Monday that he spent on this team negatively affected their future. And yet, here he remains.

Please, please don’t tell me the Chicago Bulls are about to change their mind and decide that they’d rather win with Mirotic, Lopez and Co. than follow their plan through to fulfillment. That would just be so Bulls.

They had it right the first time, getting Dunn, Markkanen and LaVine for Jimmy Butler and rebuilding this roster.

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With every minute Mirotic stays on this team, the Chicago Bulls are essentially contradicting their own plan. Trade him right now while his value sits at its highest point. Don’t wait until later when his streakiness re-surfaces and teams don’t want him anymore.

Not that it would surprise me for that to happen, but really: the Bulls need to decide whether or not they’re serious about this rebuild. If they are, Mirotic won’t be on this team by this time next week.