Report: Mirotic wants to stay with Bulls, but tension with Portis remains

Nikola Mirotic is hoping the ugly incident between him and teammate Bobby Portis won't lead to Mirotic's exit from the Chicago Bulls, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

That said, there's a "growing sense" that Mirotic would be uncomfortable sharing a locker room with Portis going forward, Johnson reports.

Mirotic, who re-signed with the Bulls as a restricted free agent just a month ago, is recovering from the concussion and facial fractures he suffered when Portis punched him during a skirmish at Bulls practice on Oct. 17. Portis, meanwhile, is serving a team-issued eight-game suspension for the incident.

The animosity between the two had reportedly been brewing for some time, as they've been competing for playing time in Chicago's frontcourt since Portis was drafted in 2015. When things came to a head, Mirotic was reportedly the primary aggressor in the fight.

The Bulls will likely need to make a decision in the near future about whether the fractured (no pun intended) relationship between the two players can be mended, and, if not, which one they want to hold onto. The second year on Mirotic's two-year, $27-million deal is a team option, and the Bulls have until Oct. 31 to decide whether to pick up the fourth-year option on Portis' rookie contract.

The Bulls can also try to trade either player, but Mirotic's contract gives him the power to veto any deal, and because he just signed a new contract in September, CBA rules restrict him from being traded until mid-January anyway.