It seems that it isn't just balls that are getting passed around in the National Basketball Association (NBA) but also team members, as the latest rumors surrounding NBA trades involve the Chicago Bulls.
Bulls' forward Bobby Portis and power forward Nikola Mirotic are in the controversy spotlight right now after Portis allegedly hit Mirotic in the face during a practice game for the team. This outburst put Mirotic out of the game indefinitely due to a concussion and several facial fractures. Portis was suspended for eight games. This led to speculations that a trade might occur since team dynamics and relationship might get affected and may ultimately lead to poor performance.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Mirotic has issued an ultimatum to his team, putting both his future or Portis' in trouble, as one of them might be forced to leave the team. Apparently, Mirotic and his managers gave Bulls a "me or him" ultimatum and insisted that either him or Portis should be gone once the team is ready for actual play.
That said, Mirotic has a no-trade clause, meaning that Bulls will have to keep him, though he might choose to waive this clause if the Chicago team chose Portis instead of him. Still, Mirotic already has a signed $27 million contract extension with Bulls during the offseason and cannot be moved out of the team until mid-January.
Vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said that the Bulls is sympathetic to what had happened to Mirotic but will have to do what's best for the organization, meaning that they may actually choose Portis over the injured player even if it meant losing him.
Meanwhile, Portis has publicly apologized on Oct. 21 for what he did to Mirotic, stating "I'm wrong for what I did. I want to publicly apologize to Niko. I feel like I let my fans, the Bulls organization and, most importantly, my teammates down. This is not who Bobby Portis is."
Despite this, Mirotic has not yet commented on the gesture.
