Can Nikola Mirotic Be Chicago Bulls' Carlos Boozer Replacement Plan?

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Nikola Mirotic is tabbed as the eventual Carlos Boozer replacement.
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As Nikola Mirotic continues to make a name for himself overseas, the Chicago Bulls' future looks brighter and brighter. After all, general manager Gar Forman is the one who made the savvy move of acquiring his rights after he was drafted at No. 23 in the 2011 NBA draft.

However, it's not quite as simple as waiting for him to make his way to the United States.

The Bulls must complete a complicated process in order to lure Mirotic away from Real Madrid—the basketball team, not the more famous soccer team—and into a red-and-black jersey. It's tough, but it is indeed doable.

The long-term plan is to have Mirotic replace Carlos Boozer, who will likely be the victim of the amnesty clause after the 2013-14 season plays out.

Between Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and Marquis Teague, the Bulls already have over $42 million committed for the 2014-15 campaign. That obviously doesn't include Luol Deng, who is presumably still a part of Chicago's long-term plans.

If the Bulls want to avoid harsh luxury-tax penalties and keep the core of their lineup together, replacing Boozer with the younger and cheaper Mirotic is necessary.

So, can they make it happen? And, perhaps more importantly, is Mirotic actually capable of immediately replacing Boozer's production in the Windy City?
Let's take a look.


The following quote, spoken by Forman on the "Waddle and Silvy Show," comes to us via ESPNChicago's Nick Friedell:

You're slotted in the first round, and I think the slot for No. 24 is $1.3 or $1.4 million. Well, he makes a lot more money than that right now over at Real Madrid. So the way the CBA is written is after three years then you're no longer slotted. Then you can use whether it's exception room or cap room in order to pay a guy. So there's no possibility this summer [of getting him] because next year will be his third year. But after next year, the summer of 2014, then we'll be able to start some negotiations as far as a buyout possibly with Real Madrid or negotiate with him to come over here. 

Forman is a little bit off since Mirotic was actually the No. 23 pick, but he's close. If the power forward joined the Bulls this offseason, he'd make $1,038,900. The sentiment still applies, though, as that's less money than he's making with Real Madrid. His salary with the Spanish team has not been disclosed, but it's presumably larger than that rookie-scale deal.

Three years after an international player—note: on an international team, not just a foreign prospect—is drafted, his contract no longer needs to operate on the rookie scale. That's why the 2014 offseason is the magic time for Mirotic. And when that summer hits, the Bulls will have around $20 million in cap room, assuming that the amnesty clause is used on Boozer.

They'll be able to afford a salary large enough to please Mirotic, probably involving the $5 million mid-level exception, but they still have to complete a buyout with Real Madrid. That's the trickier part.