The Bulls have an additional $3 million to spend when NBA free agency begins on Sunday.

The NBA ruled that Omer Asik has a career-ending injury/illness and thus voided his player contract, a source confirmed. Asik, who also has battled Crohn’s disease, didn’t participate in last season’s training camp because of inflammatory arthritis.

The Bulls eventually waived Asik in October to sign Shaquille Harrison off waivers from the Suns.

The Bulls applied for relief from the remaining $3 million on Asik’s contract shortly after the season. Internally, they consistently expressed confidence that the league office would rule in their favor.

The additional $3 million of salary-cap space brings the Bulls’ cap space to roughly $23 million to $24 million. The Bulls can travel two avenues with their free-agency strategy: They can split their cap space between two players and sign a third using their “room exception.”

Or they can use the majority of it on a larger target and use exceptions to address their remaining needs.

Even after drafting Coby White, speculation exists the Bulls could sign restricted free agent Malcolm Brogdon to an offer sheet that could give the Bucks pause. Coincidentally, George Hill, another Bucks guard, could be part of the first strategy if he’s waived before Tuesday.

The Bulls are seeking big-man depth, shooting and likely another point guard in free agency.

The Bulls originally acquired Asik in a 2008 draft-day trade in which they dealt three second-round picks despite Asik being under contract overseas for two more seasons. Asik played all 82 games and a critical defensive role for the 2010-11 Bulls, who advanced to the Eastern Conference finals.

Several Bulls, including Derrick Rose in his soon-to-be-released autobiography, have pointed to Asik’s fractured left fibula as a turning point in their five-game series loss to the Heat.

Asik suffered the injury during the third quarter of Game 3 and actually tried to play on it for 1 minute, 53 seconds of Game 4.