WASHINGTON -- After the Boston Celtics all but closed the door on Michael Jordan's playoff hopes, he left a big opening for a possible return to the Chicago Bulls.

Jordan said Wednesday that working in the Bulls' front office will be a second option if he can't work out a deal with the Washington Wizards.

"Obviously my focus here is to go back upstairs,'' he said after an 87-83 loss to the Celtics. "And hopefully it works out that way, but if it doesn't, then obviously I have options. Not just Chicago, I have other options as well.''

Jordan is retiring as a player at the end of the season, and he reiterated that his first choice is to return as the Wizards' president of basketball operations, the post he held from January 2000 until his second comeback began in fall 2001.

Jordan and Wizards owner Abe Pollin will discuss Jordan's future after the season, and the talks will include how much authority Jordan will have over the way the franchise is run.

The resignation of Bulls general manager Jerry Krause earlier this week will strengthen Jordan's hand in the negotiations. If he doesn't stay in Washington, he could return to the city where he lives and won six NBA titles, or he could be a candidate to join the new expansion franchise in Charlotte.

"For me, ideally, is to keep this thing rolling, keep this team moving in the right direction,'' Jordan said. "That's what I truly want to happen. Chicago is a second thought, as well as any other opportunities.''

Jordan's remarks reopened the possibility of his returning to Chicago one day after he seemed to dismiss it. On Tuesday, he told reporters in Cleveland that he hadn't thought about Chicago.