Despite being the catalyst for their resurgence since his return from injury, Nikola Mirotic has made it clear to the Chicago Bulls that he wants to be traded before the deadline next month.

The franchise is willing to meet his demands and is actively looking to offload him in the coming weeks.

There is certainly interest in Mirotic from several teams across the league including the Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, and Portland Trail Blazers.

Of the three teams, the Jazz appears to be the first to have made their move for the power forward.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune's Tony Jones, Utah has offered their longest-tenured player Derrick Favors in exchange for the Bulls big man.

A deal could potentially be close as Jones states that talks between the two parties "are getting serious."

Because he re-signed with Chicago over the summer as a restricted free agent, Mirotic can't be traded until January 15. He also has a no-trade clause in his contract, but the chances of him waiving it are believed to be high to secure a move away.

Even though he's enjoying a fine season in the Windy City, the 26-year-old has been keen to leave after being involved in a physical altercation with teammate Bobby Portis in the summer - which sidelined him for around eight weeks.

He's averaging 17.4 points and seven rebounds per game and is having arguably his best season in the NBA which has seen him generate strong interest.

A straight swap deal between Mirotic and Favors would work for both teams in terms of numbers. The Jazz center is earning $12 million this year as an expiring contract, while Mirotic is making $12.5m with a team option for next season.

Favors has been in Salt Lake City since arriving in 2011 as part of the deal that sent point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets.

He's posting 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds on 55.1 percent shooting this campaign but he's struggled with injuries for the majority of his career in Utah and is due to become a free agent in the summer.

It'll be interesting to see if either the Pistons or Blazers decide to put a trade package together to try and beat the Jazz to the acquisition of Mirotic.

But at the moment it would appear that his likeliest destination will be to the Northwest Division outfit where his presence could boost a team that is struggling offensively.

Outside of rookie sensation Donovan Mitchell, Utah has found scoring on their roster hard to come by and the addition of the Montenegrin will add some much-needed firepower.