Report: Former Bucks forward Nikola Mirotic to sign overseas deal with Euroleague club Barcelona
Forgoing an opportunity to stay in the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks forward Nikola Mirotic has decided to sign with Euroleague club Barcelona, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
NBA free agent Nikola Mirotic has decided to sign with Euroleague club Barcelona, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Mirotic was in the market for $45-50M total in contract in the NBA.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2019
Rumors of the 28-year-old’s future move began Saturday and hinted that he was considering returning to Spain, where he initially spent six seasons playing with Barcelona rival Real Madrid. The Montenegro native made his NBA debut with the Chicago Bulls in the 2014-15 season.
As Charania emphasized, this eliminates Mirotic from a competitive free agency period that begins at 6 p.m. ET Sunday, where he could have potentially earned between $40 million and $50 million. Details about his contract with Barcelona have not been released.
Interest from teams around the NBA appeared to pick up steam, with Marc Stein of The New York Times tweeting that the Utah Jazz showed serious interest in landing Mirotic.
Utah had major interest in signing Nikola Mirotic to a three-year deal in the $45 million range, league sources say, but Mirotic was apparently determined to make a total change and return to @EuroLeague life
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 29, 2019
During his time in Milwaukee, Mirotic averaged 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. He was named MVP of the Spanish League in 2013.
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