Chicago Bulls: Nikola Mirotic thanks city of Chicago and Bulls’ fans
By Eric Brown
After being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, forward Nikola Mirotic thanked the Bulls organization for his time spent there.
After 3 full seasons with the Chicago Bulls, Nikola Mirotic will be heading to the city of jazz. As he was traded on Thursday to the New Orleans Pelicans. The deal included Mirotic and a second-round pick heading to the Pelicans, with Jameer Nelson, Tony Allen, Omer Asik and the Pelicans 2018 first-round draft pick going to the Bulls. After the trade went through officially, Mirotic took to Twitter to thank the city of Chicago and the dedication that Bulls fans have shown.
After being selected by the Houston Rockets with the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 draft, Mirotic was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, then the Timberwolves traded him to the Chicago Bulls. Despite being drafted in the 2011 draft, Mirotic would not see an NBA court until the 2014 season.
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Before the 2014 season began, Mirotic signed a 3-year, $16.6 million contract with the Bulls. During his rookie year, Nikola showed that he belonged in the NBA, and showed the rest of the reason why the Rockets spent a first-round pick on him just three years prior. He finished his rookie season averaging 10.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists on 40.5 percent shooting from the field.
During his sophomore campaign is really when Mirotic began to make a name for himself around the NBA. After having started only 3 games his rookie year, Nikola would start 38 total games his second season.
This year was supposed to be a special year for Nikola. After all, the past star of the team, Jimmy Butler was traded to the Timberwolves on draft night in order for the team to rebuild for the future. However, the year began on a sour note for Mirotic, as he was injured in a preseason fight with teammate Bobby Portis which made him miss almost a month with facial fractures.
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Bulls fans will surely miss Nikola Mirotic and his beard, as he was an integral part of the teams’ mediocre success over the past three seasons. Of course, nobody will ever be able to replace the spot in fans’ hearts while screaming “THREEEEKOLA”. Best of wishes to you in New Orleans, Nikola. Sincerely, all Bulls fans.