Carmelo Anthony is so intrigued about the possibility of joining the Chicago Bulls and playing in coach Tom Thibodeau's system the league's No. 2 overall scorer has been calling up the team's former small forwards to learn more about the organization.

Anthony has until Monday to decide if he will opt out of the final year of his deal with Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks to become a free agent and the Wall Street Journal reported the seven-time All-Star forward has already "sought out multiple ex-Chicago wing players" to talk Bulls basketball.

Carmelo won't wait on Knicks

"If he makes the choice to opt out, I think he's gone," a source told The Journal.

Besides the Knicks and the Bulls, the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat are also rumored to be in play for Anthony, who averaged 27 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks this season but missed the playoffs for the first time in his 11-year career.

While the Knicks can offer the veteran forward a max deal that pays him nearly $30 million more than any other team and up to $129 million overall, Anthony spoke throughout the season about being at a point in his career where winning means as much to him as the chance to land the biggest deal possible.

Miami Heat to chase Carmelo Anthony?

Anthony recently met with the Knicks' braintrust of Jackson, GM Steve Mills and new coach Derek Fisher in Los Angeles and insisted that the meeting "went well," though a source told reporters his plans about testing free agency remain unchanged.