The Chicago Bulls have re-signed restricted free agent power forward Nikola Mirotic to a contract worth $27 million over two years.
Shams Charania of The Vertical broke the news on Sunday afternoon:
Restricted free agent Nikola Mirotic has agreed to a two-year, $27M deal to return to Chicago, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 24, 2017
Nikola Mirotic Re-Signs With Chicago Bulls
Mirotic’s contract will take him through the end of the 2018-19 season. After a stalemate between the team and Mirotic, the two sides finally reached the agreement nearly three months into free agency. Mirotic’s restricted free agent status surely played a factor in Chicago’s reluctance to pay him, as they could simply wait to match other teams’ offers.
Nikola Mirotic averaged 10.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game last season for the Bulls. He shot 41.3 percent from the field and 77.3 percent from the free throw line in his contract year. The forward has played reliable minutes and shown flashes of potential in Chicago. Mirotic was injured and played 70 regular season games, an improvement from the 66 games he played in the previous season.
Looking forward, Mirotic may step into a larger role for the Bulls, who lost many of their better players over the past several months. Mirotic has begun to solidify himself as a streaky-hot shooter and offensive spark against the right teams. His shooting touch, length, and rebounding ability will help Chicago on most nights. However, his defensive struggles are often an issue, which may be why it took so long for him to sign this summer.
Mirotic is going into his fourth season in the league, during which he’ll turn 25 years old. Until this point, he has played his entire career with the Bulls, who have gone through two head coaches and had a tumultuous front office during his entire.
Check out the LWOS 2017 NBA Free Agency Tracker for all of your NBA free agency coverage, and be sure to follow @LastWordHoops on Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest NBA news.
Main Photo:
CHICAGO, USA – MARCH 22: Tobias Harris (34) of Detroit Pistons in action against Nikola Mirotic (44) of Chicago Bulls during the NBA match between Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, United States on March 22, 2017. (Photo by Bilgin S. Sasmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
