Report: Bulls 'may be close' to signing European star Nikola Mirotic

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While the Chicago Bulls may or may not land Carmelo Anthony in free agency, the team seems close to adding an impact forward nonetheless.

The team is said to be close to luring European prospect Nikola Mirotic stateside, according to a report from ESPN.

Bringing him over isn't quite easy, despite the Bulls owning Mirotic's draft rights. He was the No. 23 pick in the 2011 draft, but because three years have passed, he's no longer subject to the rookie scale, and he could eat into the team's cap flexibility. There's also the matter of his buyout, only $600,000 of which the Bulls can contribute to without it counting against the salary cap, which reportedly came in at $3 million to free him from Real Madrid.

Regardless of how Mirotic impacts the Anthony chase - he's not tradeable for 30 days after signing but could make the team more comfortable in losing Taj Gibson in a sign-and-trade - this could be a pretty major addition. At 6-foot-10 and with a soft shooting touch and range, the 23-year-old figures to be a rotation piece immediately.