:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62982396/usa_today_10589454.0.jpg)
The rumors continue to spread as the NBA trade deadline looms. After reportedly having interest in Nikola Mirotic at last year’s deadline, the Utah Jazz are rumored to have expressed interest in the shooting power forward again this year.
Anthony Davis gets the attention but sources tell SN Pelicans are doing brisk business on Nikola Mirotic, with Sixers and Jazz inquiring. NOLA is hoping to get a 1st-rounder.
— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) February 1, 2019
Jazz nearly got Mirotic last year. Blazers, Rockets are factors, too:https://t.co/TZpRK9k2M0
Mirotic is in the middle of a very solid season for the Pelicans. He’s currently averaging 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting nearly 37% from 3. It’s that perimeter shooting that the Jazz have their eye on. He may not provide much defensively, but Rudy Gobert has shown he can cover up defensive weak spots for the Jazz.
A first round pick? That seems unlikely. Maybe during last season when you’d get 1.5 years out of the PF. But spending a 1st rounder on what could become a half-season rental for someone at his talent level seems like an unrealistic wish by the Pelicans. Certainly they’ll start with a high asking price and come down from there.
Will Dennis Lindsey ultimately decide to pull the trigger on something before the February 7th deadline? We’ll find out soon enough.