Bulls RFA Nikola Mirotic to skip EuroBasket

Chalk it up to another victim of restricted free agency.

Nikola Mirotic will not represent Spain in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament as he remains without an NBA contract, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Mirotic asked for "support and understanding" from his Spanish supporters as he cannot risk playing without a guaranteed contract in the event of an injury.

The Chicago Bulls hold his restricted rights and can match any offers signed by Mirotic, whom the Bulls would like to retain. But without Mirotic signing any competing offers, he can only bide his time as the Bulls hold all the leverage in negotiations. That is likely why talks have stalled to the point where Mirotic will be unable to play internationally.

Spain has relied heavily upon Mirotic's scoring abilities to generate secondary offense around the Gasol brothers in recent tournaments. That being said, the Spaniards boast a surplus of premium players, and they should still be considered as a strong candidate to top Europe.

Mirotic averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 24 minutes per game last season and hit 34.2 percent from deep. He has spent the summer training in Chicago.