By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Nick Lotsos, the longtime agent of the Serbian guard, confirmed to NBA Greece that his client had a verbal deal with the Bulls, as Eurohoops had reported.
“We initially had a deal with the Chicago Bulls”, said Lotsos who proceeded to give many details about the talks between the two sides.
“I met in Treviso, Italy, the head of international scouting Ivica Dukan, who is the man who took Tony Kukoc to Chicago. His opinion has a real value within the Bulls organization. He is practically the no3 decision maker on the team. We talked and he said to me that Milos was the best player they could get. After a few days the GM, Gar Forman, called me. We had agreed to a contract close to $ 30 million for three years, similar to the one Bogdan Bogdanovic signed in Sacramento. My only objection was that I wanted Milos to have the chance to opt out every summer because I believe that he can all-star money. We were ready to sign and Forman wanted the deal for one more reason. There are many Serbs in Chicago”.
However, with Jimmy Butler traded, everything changed. According to Lotsos, “I knew that the deal will not be completed after the trade. And two days later, Forman called me and explained to me that the team wanted to rebuild, so getting a 30 years old point guard without NBA experience was out of the question”.
The loss of the Bulls seems to be the big gain of the Clippers, which ended up getting Milos with just a two year $12 million deal. After all, Lotsos believes that his client can opt out after the first season and get a big payday: “He may even end up signing a $75 million deal”.