Nikola Mirotic made headlines in free agency when he decided to leave the NBA to join Barcelona on a lucrative contract, a deal which is reportedly the richest in Europe. Prior to this, there were several teams who attempted to sign Mirotic, but the Spaniard rejected them.
Barcelona's coach recently claimed the Chicago Bulls, Mirotic's former team, offered him a contract worth $45 million. However, NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan is saying the Bulls never offered Niko that deal:
Confirmed that the Bulls did NOT make this offer to Mirotic. NBA sources tell me that Utah did make a major offer to Niko that he rejected. https://t.co/J2qACMTwzG
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) July 31, 2019
Mirotic began his NBA career with the Bulls, where he made a name for himself as a solid stretch 4. He also had stints with the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks before deciding to leave the NBA earlier this month.
According to rumors, Mirotic believed he could be the focal point of a team's offense, and the fact he never really had the chance to do that is what frustrated him. He played five years in the NBA, averaging 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds.
It is unclear if Mirotic will be open to returning to the NBA in the future. He's already 28 years old, meaning he will be past his prime when his contract with Barcelona ends. Still, he didn't seem to have any second thoughts about leaving, which is an indication that going back to Europe is about more than just the money.
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