The Chicago Bulls announced on Wednesday that the team will excercise its fourth-year contract option on forward Taj Gibson.
The move comes at a time when some trade rumors placed Gibson on the trade block. Gibson played in 80 regular season games last year, averaging 7.1 points per game, 5.7 rebound per game, and 1.3 blocks per game in 21.8 minutes per game.
Gibson played crucial minutes late in games in this year's playoffs, providing the team with much-needed defensive support as starting power forward Carlos Boozer struggled to guard the rim throughout the playoffs.
In two seasons, Gibson has appeared in 162 games (89 starts) and averaged 8.0 points per game and 1.30 blocks per game.
The Bulls selected Gibson in the first round (26th overall) in the 2009 NBA Draft.
