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Report: Blazers Among Several Teams That Have ‘Expressed Interest’ in Nikola Mirotic

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer lists the Blazers along with the Jazz, Nets and Spurs as possible Mirotic trade partners.

Portland Trail Blazers v New Orleans Pelicans - Game Three Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images

The Portland Trail Blazers have already been linked in NBA trade deadline rumors with New Orleans Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic, and that chatter continues with the deadline less than 24 hours away. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported Wednesday that the Blazers have “expressed interest” in Mirotic — which was also said by Sean Deveney of Sporting News on Monday — but O’Connor also lists possible competition in the Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs:

The Jazz, Blazers, Nets, and Spurs are among the teams that have expressed interest in Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic, according to multiple league sources. New Orleans is seeking a first-round pick, league sources said. One source called the franchise’s demands “excessive,” considering Mirotic has been hampered this season by calf and ankle injuries and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Again, this isn’t new news, but it does provide insight into who, along with Portland, could be in pursuit of Mirotic (this doesn’t rule out other teams, either). It’s also not clear when the Blazers expressed this interest or how serious it is.

Dave Deckard here at Blazer’s Edge recently wrote about why a Mirotic trade would be a good thing for Portland to pursue.

Mirotic is also sitting out Wednesday night’s game against the Chicago Bulls:

And Mirotic tweeted out a puzzle-piece emoji earlier Wednesday, which sparked speculation: