The Chicago Bulls have exercised its fourth-year option on forward Doug McDermott, and the third-year options on guard Jerian Grant and forward Bobby Portis.

By exercising these options, they will be under contract with the Bulls for the 2017-18 season.

McDermott (6-8, 223) played in 81 games (four starts) in 2015-16 after appearing in only 36 games during his rookie season. He recorded 37 double-digit scoring games last season, including a career-high 30 points on Feb. 19, 2016, versus Toronto – after only posting four games with 10+ points in 2014-15. McDermott’s 3-point percentage of .425 in 2015-16 ranked fifth in the NBA. The Creighton product owns career averages of 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting .445 from the field, .410 from three and .828 from the free-throw line. McDermott was selected 11th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft and came to the Bulls in a draft-night deal with the Denver Nuggets on June 26, 2014.

Grant (6-4, 198) was selected 19th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, with the pick originally owned by the Washington Wizards and subsequently traded to New York via Atlanta. In his rookie year, Grant played in 76 games (six starts) and posted 5.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists (eighth among rookies) in 16.6 minutes per game. His .780 free-throw percentage ranked sixth among rookies. In his final year at Notre Dame in 2014-15, Grant earned NCAA First Team All-America honors from The Associated Press.

Portis (6-11, 250) appeared in 62 games (four starts) in 2015-16. In his rookie year, he became the first Bull to record 20 points and 10 rebounds in one of his first five career games since 1999. Portis also became the 25th player in Bulls history to log a double-digit scoring effort in their NBA debut (Nov. 3, at Charlotte), and his field goal percentage of .714 is the highest of any Bull in his first game. He owns careers averages of 7.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 17.8 minutes per game while shooting .427 from the field, .308 from behind the arc and .727 from the line. The Arkansas product was named SEC Player of the Year in his second and final season as a Razorback.

Dwyane Wade received a $25,000 fine for his throat slashing gesture during the Chicago Bulls' win on Thursday.

Wade scored 22 points and hit the game-clincher with 26.3 seconds left.

"I wanna apologize to my young fans on my gesture at the end of last nights game. I was caught up in the emotions of my first game at home," said Wade.

Dwyane Wade and the Chicago Bulls beat the Boston Celtics 105-99 in his debut with the franchise.

Wade hit his fourth three-pointer of the game to seal it for the Bulls.

“I closed the Miami chapter right there,” Wade told The Vertical inside an empty locker room late Thursday.

“I can’t focus over there anymore. I want those guys in Miami to be successful, but I’m motivated by greatness here. I’m motivated by doing what people think I can’t do, for sure. I had to make a decision, and I feel good about the decision I made.

“A lot of emotions hit me when I made that shot. I’m not here because I’m angry at [Pat Riley] or the Heat. There’s no anger. I’m happy because I got the freedom to look elsewhere. I got to look at home.”

The Chicago Bulls and R.J. Hunter are engaged in serious talks on a deal.

Hunter was waived by the Boston Celtics as part of their final roster cuts for the regular season.

Hunter was the 28th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Georgia State.

The Bulls are in need of perimeter shooting on the wing.

The Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls held discussions at the draft centered on Jimmy Butler.

According to the Chicago Tribune, one of the proposals was Jae Crowder, the No. 3 pick and the No. 16 pick. The Bulls would have used the pick on Kris Dunn.

A source says the Bulls also demanded an additional starter-level player in the trade.

Butler was an All-Star in 2015 and 2016 but the Celtics felt the price was exorbitant. 

The Milwaukee Bucks have agreed to trade Michael Carter-Williams to the Chicago Bulls for Tony Snell.

The Bucks have been looking for more shooting on the perimeter following the hamstring injury to Khris Middleton. Milwaukee previously offered Carter-Williams to the Sacramento Kings for Ben McLemore.

The Bucks and Bulls met Saturday night in Chicago in a preseason game, but neither Williams nor Snell played.

Carter-Williams won Rookie of the Year honors with the Philadelphia 76ers and was dealt the next season in a move that allowed them to acquire a future first round pick from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Both Carter-Williams and Snell are 2013 first-round picks eligible for extensions ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline.

Dwyane Wade said both he and LeBron James were interested in signing with the Chicago Bulls during the summer of 2010.

Wade said Chris Bosh changed the equation since the Miami Heat could accommodate the three of them.

"My eyes were here, LeBron's eyes were here," said Wade. "Miami put a monkey wrench in the plan when they could fit all 3 of us."

Wade said if the Bulls had traded away Luol Deng that summer, the trio could have joined a core of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

LeBron James confirmed he hoped the Cleveland Cavaliers would sign Dwyane Wade but that the team didn't have the means to sign him.

"We couldn't afford him," James said. "It's that simple."

James and Wade were teammates for four seasons with the Miami Heat and remain close friends.

Wade agreed upon a two-year, $47 million deal with the Chicago Bulls in the offseason. Cleveland could offer only the taxpayer midlevel exception, worth about $3.5 million.

"Who wouldn't be interested in a Hall of Famer?" Tyronn Lue said. "That don't even make sense. Yeah, we wanted him."

Dwyane Wade hit 52 percent of his three-pointers in last year's playoffs and is 5-for-7 so far in the preseason with the Chicago Bulls. Wade has typically struggled with his perimeter shot with a 28.4 percent mark for his career.

“Just freedom of mind to shoot them,’’ Wade said of his evolution. “It’s different. You know, obviously, last year if you look at our roster [in Miami], the way it was made up, I was the playmaker. I was put in a position to be the playmaker and I wasn’t the one shooting threes at all, until the playoffs. Then they took some things away and I was shooting them.

“I’m not saying I’m going to shoot 52 percent like I did in the playoffs, but early in training camp coach [Fred Hoiberg] talked to me about being comfortable shooting the three ball and getting my feet ready and stepping up and shooting the three ball. It’s just the freedom of mind. Some days I’m going to shoot terribly and y’all are going to talk about me, some days it all averages out.’’

Dunc'd On's Season Outlook for the Chicago Bulls with KC Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. We discuss the Bulls' thinking on the Derrick Rose trade and the acquisitions of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade. We also hit on potential breakout and regression candidates, playing time and lineup issues, give our prediction for the Bulls' season, and discuss the front office over the past five years.  KC also gives a window into an excellent piece he wrote on Ben Wilson, reflecting on the game his high school team played against Simeon shortly after he was murdered.

Then, the same treatment for the Indiana Pacers with Jared Wade of 8 Points, Nine Seconds.

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