The Bulls traded up to acquire Nikola Mirotic, fearful the Thunder would select him at No. 24.

League sources said Mirotic's buyout from Real Madrid stands at roughly 2 million Euros. That number obviously is negotiable, but the plan for now is to keep Mirotic overseas for at least two or three seasons of his five-year deal.

Spain center Fran Vazquez has decided not to play for the country this summer when the national team tries to defend its EuroBasket title.

The Barcelona big man, who just helped his club side capture the ACB title, competed for Spain last year at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

He has contacted Spain coach Sergio Scariolo and informed him of his desire to take the summer off.

"I have asked the national team coach not to include me in the team," Vazquez said in a statement.

"I think the best thing for me is to not play the EuroBasket and rest this summer so as to face next season with all guarantees."

It's official: Ricky Rubio is joining the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 20-year-old Spanish guard ended two years of speculation on Friday when he said, "I have finally decided to start the journey" to the NBA.

"This is a day our organization and our fans have been eagerly awaiting from the moment we drafted him, and I couldn't be more pleased to welcome Ricky to Minnesota," said David Kahn, Timberwolves president of basketball operations. "Ricky's skill set and feel for the game have made him one of the best young players in Europe for six years now, and at age 20 he's still a young player with a lot of upside. I expect Ricky to enjoy a long and successful career here in Minnesota."
 
The Timberwolves selected Rubio with the No. 5 pick in the 2009 draft, but his $6 million buyout clause made him stay in Spain until the priced dropped to a more manageable $1.4 million.

Ricky Rubio has cleared the final obstacles standing in his way from joining the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2011-12 NBA season, according to sources.

Rubio will hold a news conference in Barcelona on Friday to discuss his basketball future.

"Goodnight everyone," Rubio tweeted in Spanish. "Tomorrow morning I give a press conference to say my future. A hug and see you tomorrow."

David Stern must officially give his approval, but a source said, "It's just a formality. It's done." 

Ricky Rubio has already signed a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the holdup keeping him from leaving Barcelona is related to his buyout agreement, multiple sources told ESPN.com.

"This is just a bump in the road for (the Timberwolves)," said one source.

Rubio's Spanish club won the ACB championship Tuesday, after which Rubio said:

"We are talking with Barcelona and we will soon see."

That fueled speculation Rubio might not come to Minnesota for the 2011-12 season. But two sources told ESPN.com Rubio has already signed with the Timberwolves.

Jorge Garbajosa has called it quits with Spain's national team.

The versatile power forward, who is 33, made the much-anticipated announcement early Tuesday afternoon at the Spanish Basketball Federation headquarters in Madrid.

Garbajosa has been as important as any player in the squad during a golden era for Spain.

After the loss of Pau Gasol to injury in a 2006 FIBA World Championship Semi-Final victory over Argentina, Garbajosa helped carry the Spanish in a 70-47 title-game rout of Greece, burying six of 11 three-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points.

After two years of waiting, flamboyant Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio has agreed to join the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2011-’12 season, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Wednesday night.

Rubio reached a deal on Tuesday, sources said.

Rubio, the fifth pick in the 2009 NBA draft, has been playing for Regal Barcelona of the Spanish ACB League for the past two seasons. It’s likely that the deal won’t be announced until Rubio, 20, finishes his season in the Euroleague playoffs later this month.