Chicago Bulls NBA Trade Rumors: Team Looking to Trade Center Robin Lopez
Looks like Nikola Mirotić isn't the only player on the Chicago Bulls roster who's likely to get moved before the trade deadline in February.
According to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson, the Bulls have made calls to teams around the league to gauge the trade value of Mirotić and veteran center Robin Lopez.
"According to one Eastern Conference executive and one Western Conference executive, the Bulls have made preliminary inquiries on Mirotic's value, along with Robin Lopez's. The Bulls, who are under the salary-cap floor, are seeking to add future assets in terms of draft picks without taking on long-term contracts," Johnson said in his report.
The Bulls are in full-blown rebuilding mode right now so Lopez seems like an odd fit with the team. However, the team may have a hard time finding a trade partner for the center because he still has another year left on his current contract. He is slated to earn close to $13.8 million this year and around $14.4 million next season.
Of course, the Bulls can always package him together with Mirotić.
"While it seems Lopez would not garner more than a second-round pick by himself since he likely would not earn huge minutes with a contender, he and Mirotic in a package could net a nice return," Brian Marron said in his column for Bleacher Report.
Lopez's numbers aren't half-bad, though. He is averaging 13.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 blocks in 27 games this season. He's also shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Mirotić has been on a tear since he returned to the lineup and he has helped the Bulls win four straight games. The Montenegrin–Spanish forward is averaging 19.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games this season, and he's also shooting a career-high 57.1 percent from the field, 52.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line.
