The European team with the rights to Darko Milicic -- the Pistons' top draft choice -- has reduced its original $10-million buyout proposal, and the Pistons and representatives for the 7-foot-1 forward hope that a deal happens soon.

Milicic, 18, and his agent, Marc Cornstein, are negotiating with Hemofarm Vrsac to buy the remaining five years of Milicic's contract so that he can begin his NBA career with the Pistons next season.

Carlos Delfino, who played for Skipper Bologna in Italy last season, is in a similar situation. But Delfino -- the Pistons' second pick -- knows that to play for the Pistons he must pay Skipper Bologna $1 million. Under NBA rules, the team drafting a foreign player has to pay only $350,000 to the overseas team that holds the player's rights. The player is responsible for paying the rest.

A key point for both Milicic and Delfino is that they want to spread the payments over several years, depending on what kind of settlement they can reach with their respective teams.