Nikola Mirotic, the coveted 2011 NBA draft pick (23rd Overall), is widely considered the best basketball player in the world not currently in the NBA. He recently completed a multi-million dollar buyout from his Euroleague team, Real Madrid.
Real Madrid ended last season with unfulfilled expectations of another Spanish League Championship, and the resulting rift between ownership and the team's head coach may have been a big factor in encouraging Mirotic's move to the NBA.
The 6' 10" Power Forward will be the latest offensive minded addition to the offensively-challenged Bulls. Mirotic shot 46% from three-point range.
While the Bulls did not win the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, they were the best situation going into 2014 NBA Free Agency, and they have only gotten better.
There was some question about whether the team could add Carmelo Anthony and still be able to afford bringing Mirotic over. Instead, the Chicago Bulls were able to add Pau Gasol on an affordable 3 year deal, leaving ample room to fit Mirotic under the salary cap.
This latest roster move allows the Bulls to add significant talent to their team as the entire Eastern Conference appears to have gotten stronger and deeper.
Carmelo Anthony returns to a poor situation in New York which is, at best, will be looking to the 2015 NBA Free Agency to add talent. However, with Carmelo going back on a max deal, the Knicks will not be able to add much depth realistically due to financial constraints.
The upheaval in Miami that saw the split up of the Big 3 will also have significant repercussions to the Eastern Conference playoff race. Unofficially, Lebron's exodus to Cleveland has been addressed by the addition of former Chicago Bull, Luol Deng, for a reported 2 year $20M.
While the terms of a deal are still being worked out due to several moving parts, Nikola Mirotic tweeted on Sunday that he had come to terms on a contract with the Chicago Bulls that will allow him to fulfill his dream of joining the team.
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