Portis, Mirotic didn't get past altercation: 'Off the court, we never talked'

The Chicago Bulls may have wound up moving Nikola Mirotic this season regardless of what happened off the court; he played well enough to up his trade value to first-round-pick territory and threatened to derail the Bulls' tanking dreams.

But the fact that he and Bobby Portis could not work past their preseason altercation, in which Portis hospitalized and sidelined Mirotic with a punch to the face, was a major impetus for the trade.

On the court, the two players managed to at least put aside their differences - the Bulls went 14-11 in games Mirotic played, outscoring opponents by 14.9 points per 100 possessions in the 372 minutes he and Portis shared the floor - but in every other setting, things were strained.

"I'm sorry for what happened. We tried to be professional, make things work on the court. We did that," Portis told reporters Friday, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. "Off the court, we never talked. We played cards (on the plane) one time. It was kind of awkward. So we didn't play anymore."

Mirotic is expected to make his New Orleans Pelicans debut Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.