Doug Collins had advised John Paxson is an unofficial capacity for years, but he was hired by the Chicago Bulls this offseason as senior adviser of basketball operations.

“Doug has been really good,” Jerry Reinsdorf said. “Bringing in another set of eyes and ears of somebody who has been in basketball for 40 years, he has so much knowledge. And he’s in a perfect role. He’s able to advise John, Gar (Forman), me, (coach Fred Hoiberg) with the understanding that people may not follow what he wants.”

Collins left ESPN for the opportunity with the Bulls.

Jerry Reinsdorf spoke about why he trusts John Paxson and Gar Forman to continue leading the Chicago Bulls' front office.

“I picked John to rebuild when (Jerry) Krause left (in 2003) because he’s a leader. Nothing has changed,” Reinsdorf said Tuesday in a phone interview. “He’s a fine evaluator of talent. He’s a long-term thinker. He works well with the general manager. He works well with coaches. I’m a John Paxson fan.

“Gar is great with agents. John hates to deal with agents. Gar is good at negotiating with the other general managers, but John was good at that too. Gar is great at cap knowledge and planning ahead. He’s an extremely detailed guy. That’s why we have the two jobs. And that’s a trend that teams are moving too. They realize you need two different skill sets.”

Forman was promoted to general manager in 2009 while Paxson has always ranked higher.

Reinsdorf is nearly 82 and was asked why he would sign off on a rebuild at this stage of his life.

“I figure I have at the most 15-20 years left and I’d like to win again,” he said. “I don’t like being caught in the middle.

“I think the rebuild is going great. We don’t want to be fooled by winning six games in a row. But we’re seeing our young players step up. We’re seeing (Nikola) Mirotic show what we thought we had in the first place. (Kris) Dunn is coming on. (Bobby) Portis is having a good year. And (Zach) LaVine hasn’t even played yet.

“I think Gar and John have put together the core of something good. Now it remains to be seen (if we) can take the next two steps, mediocrity and being good, without being stuck too long in mediocrity.”

The Chicago Bulls have waived guard Kay Felder.

Felder (5-6, 176) appeared in 14 games for Chicago and averaged 3.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 9.6 minutes. He also played in three games for the Windy City Bulls and averaged 17.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists, while shooting 45.2 percent from the field (19-of-42).

Chicago’s roster now stands at 16, including two Two-Way players.

The Charlotte Hornets attempted to engage the Chicago Bulls last spring on a trade for Jimmy Butler.

Sources say the Bulls had no interest in anything the Hornets could offer for Butler.

Chicago ultimately traded Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and a pick swap that led to Lauri Markkanen. 

The Chicago Bulls have made preliminary trade calls to gauge the value of Nikola Mirotic and Robin Lopez.

The Bulls are looking to add future assets in terms of draft picks.

Chicago is also below the salary cap floor, which could help teams avoid luxury tax penalties.

Mirotic initially wanted the Bulls to trade either him or Bobby Portis following their fight in practice before the start of the season.

Mirotic cannot be traded until January 15th and he also has veto power due his one-year Bird restriction.

The Chicago Bulls have assigned guard Zach LaVine to the Windy City Bulls.

LaVine is currently rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that took place on Feb. 3, 2017, vs. the Detroit Pistons.

Nikola Mirotic is likely to make his season debut on Friday and he appears to be moving on emotionally from his camp fight with Bobby Portis.

“I’m not angry at anyone,” Mirotic said. “I’m doing fine with myself. My family is great. There’s nothing to be angry about now. It’s all over. It’s a new beginning.”

Mirotic suffered a concussion and two broken facial bones.

Mirotic and Portis will attempt to remain professional while they remain teammates. Mirotic and Portis exchanged fist bumps during Wednesday's game.

Fred Hoiberg is pleased with where Mirotic is mentally.

“All he has talked about is the team,” Hoiberg said. “He wanted to be out there for them in practice. He wanted to be on the bench during the game supporting them. And then once he is ready to play again, he talked about doing whatever it takes to get us going and get the team a win.”

The Chicago Bulls have assigned guard Kay Felder to the Windy City Bulls. 

Felder has appeared in 12 games for Chicago, averaging 4.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 10.5 minutes per game.

The Chicago Bulls have assigned Zach LaVine and Nikola Mirotić to the Windy City Bulls.

Both players have missed the first 19 games of the 2017-18 regular season due to injury. LaVine is currently rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that took place on Feb. 3, 2017, vs. the Detroit Pistons. Mirotić suffered from a concussion and maxillary fractures after an incident with teammate Bobby Portis on Oct. 17, 2017.