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Bulls' Mirotic motivated by trade talk; hopes to stay for game vs. Warriors

Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic, in the midst of one of the craziest roller-coaster seasons in recent memory, knows that he can be moved at any moment. Now that Jan. 15 has come and gone, restrictions against trading the catalyst for the Bulls' remarkable midseason turnaround have been lifted.

That's apparently fine with him; reports indicate Mirotic is still seeking a trade, and his front office appears willing to oblige.

But rather than being paralyzed by the uncertainty of his situation, Mirotic is using the speculation about a possible trade as fuel.

"This is kind of some motivation for me," Mirotic said Monday, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. "I know it sounds weird. But people are talking, 'OK, Niko be gone' and 'Bye bye, Niko' or whatever. But for me, it's OK, just do what you've got to do. Play well and try to do your best until the last day and not be distracted. I know a lot of people were asking me before this, 'OK, Niko, Jan. 15's coming, what do you think?'"

The Bulls are now 13-6 with Mirotic in the lineup after the start of his season was derailed when teammate Bobby Portis broke his jaw in a preseason altercation. In that span, Mirotic has averaged 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent on 3-pointers.

For now, Mirotic will continue to enjoy the ride - including a marquee matchup with the defending champs on Wednesday night.

"Hopefully (the front office) will keep (me) a few more games at least. Especially that Golden State game because I want to play. It's going to be a fun game," Mirotic said.

"Let's go day by day. That's the only thing I can do. Be focused, enjoy this moment."

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