Wow. Made a ton of sense for NO. Bring in Niko and pass on Boogie next year. That injury is just too risky.
But the main thing with NO is Davis doesn't want to play the 5. I'm sure that's why the deal fell apart.
Scott Kushner @ScottDKushner
To clarify — The #Pelicans Mirotic deal is still on the table. Just comes down to that $12.5 million option and adding another player or two to balance the salaries of the deal.
Mirotic will be a Pelican ..... who will be a Jazz now
Our first round pick > Niko
Yep. Not sure what our game plan is as it's pretty clear we're not that interested in him unless we pick him up for scraps. If you were to look at a list of "our biggest needs," a stretch four is an essential on that list. You survey the landscape of the league and realize we can't land one of those, then one of the best ones is available for a low cost and we think "nah, too much."I doubt that, but even if true its pretty easy to make it lottery protected. The only way that pick is better than Niko is if it lands in the top 7 or we get incredibly lucky on the pick.
Which is why its pretty easy to lottery protect it and that makes it worth it for both teams.
Mirotic is one of the top 5 best stretch 4s in the league. Very few guys can shoot as well as him, rebound, handle the ball and play defense anywhere near his level. He might be the best player to put next to Gobert. Obviously Davis or Porz might be better but we are not getting them. Kuzma or Markkanen have the potential to be better but we are also no getting them. I put Mirotic above Love, LA, Carmelo, Saric, Anderson and others as a better fit and/or player for the Jazz.