Nikola Mirotic would have been back in a Chicago Bulls jersey right now if the team had gotten their way.
On Tuesday, Svetislav Pesic, head coach of the FC Barcelona team that Mirotic signed with this summer, revealed that the European forward had a contract offer of $45 million to return to the Bulls that he ultimately turned down.
“He had an offer from two NBA teams,” said Pesic, per EuroHoops. “I know the Bulls gave him some $45 million gross. Normally, when a player of this caliber returns to Europe despite this offer, everyone wonders if he’s coming back just for the money. He has a contract fitting for his quality but those figures that are reported are speculation, not to say lies. The guy is European-oriented, he and his family bought a house in Barcelona.”
The sweet-shooting Mirotic, 28, played the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Bulls. He was then traded to the New Orleans Pelicans and spent time with them and the Milwaukee Bucks before opting to return to Europe this offseason.
Mirotic did play in Spain before making the NBA leap however, so the return makes sense, especially since his time with the Bulls was perhaps best known for a black eye … literally.
