NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans have acquired forward Nikola Mirotic and a second-round draft pick from the Chicago Bulls for center Omer Asik, guards Jameer Nelson and Tony Allen and a 2018 first-round pick.
The trade, announced by both teams late Thursday afternoon, comes less than a week after New Orleans lost All-Star DeMarcus Cousins for the season to a left Achilles tear and with the Pelicans still in the playoff picture.
Mirotic has averaged 16.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game since missing the first 23 games this season with two broken bones in his face stemming from a fight in practice with Bobby Portis.
Nelson has averaged 5.1 points and 3.6 assists in 43 games for New Orleans this season. Allen averaged 4.7 points before a broken leg sidelined him for 22 games. He returned to the active roster this week. Asik has averaged 1.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14 games this season. PHOENIX (AP) — Pitcher Shelby Miller has won his salary arbitration case against Arizona after missing most of last season because of a torn elbow ligament, a decision that gave players a 2-0 record this year.
Miller was awarded a $200,000 raise to $4.9 million on Thursday by arbitrators Robert Herzog, Gary Kendellen and Sylvia Skratek, who heard the case a day earlier. The Diamondbacks argued he should be paid the same salary as in 2017, when he lost in arbitration after asking for $5.1 million.
A 27-year-old right-hander, Miller was 2-2 in four starts last year. He left an outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 23, and Arizona said four days later he had a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. He had surgery May 10.
Miller became an All-Star with Atlanta in 2015. He had a 3.02 ERA but went 6-17 and led the major leagues in losses.
He was traded after the season to Arizona in the deal that brought highly regarded infielder Dansby Swanson to the Braves along with outfielder Ender Inciarte and pitcher Aaron Blair, then went 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA for the Diamondbacks.
All-Star outfielder Mookie Betts beat the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday and will get a raise from $950,000 to $10.5 million instead of the team’s $7.5 million offer.
A decision is pending for Miami catcher J.T. Realmuto, who asked for a raise from $562,500 to $3.5 million instead of the team’s $2.9 million offer.
Marlins first baseman Justin Bour went to a hearing Thursday and asked arbitrators James Oldham, Steven Wolf and Mark Burstein for a raise from $552,500 to $3.4 million. Miami offered $3 million to the 29-year-old Bour, who hit .289 last year with 25 homers and 83 RBIs. A decision is expected Friday.