The New Orleans Pelicans reached a preliminary agreement on Thursday with the Chicago Bulls to acquire Montenegrin forward Nikola Mirotic, ESPN reported.
New Orleans made the deal after taking on the responsibility of guaranteeing Mirotic's $12.5 million option for next season. In the trade, Chicago will receive a protected first-round pick in the 2018 rookie draft, center Omer Asik, and guards Tonny Allen and Jameer Nelson.
Mirotic will provide presence in the paint after losing star DeMarcus Cousins for the rest of the season due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Mirotic, who is averaging 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in this tournament after missing the first 23 games due to an intentional facial blow by Bobby Portis in practice, signed a two-year contract with Chicago last August.