It’s easy to assume that the Pelicans have closed the door on the Western Conference playoffs, contending for a title in the upcoming years, and yes, Nikola Mirotic. After just under one calendar year with the Pelicans, Mirotic was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday for Jason Smith, Stanley Johnson, and four 2nd round picks. The Three-kola era has come to an end in the Big Easy. Or has it?
The fact is that Nikola Mirotic will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and it is highly unlikely that the Milwaukee Bucks re-sign him. They have other core guys that they have to pay this summer, namely Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon, and they already have a similar player in Ersan Illysova locked up for additional years beyond this one.