The Chicago Bulls made a dramatic organizational shift Monday, firing president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley with just one week left in the regular season. The decision ends a six-year tenure marked by roster miscalculations and limited postseason success.
Under Karnisovas' leadership, the Bulls compiled a 224-254 record across six seasons, with their lone winning campaign coming in 2021-22. That season ended with a first-round playoff exit against Milwaukee in five games. The team currently sits 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 29-49 record.
Team sources indicated ownership had been considering the change for weeks, particularly following the team's dismissal of Jaden Ivey and questions about the front office's preparation before acquiring him last February. Although the front office defended its approach, one source described the Bulls as having a "credibility" problem around the league and with their own fans.
Bulls owner Michael Reinsdorf acknowledged fan frustrations in a statement released by the team, announcing the news and committing to getting the organization back on track.
Team sources described a "growing disconnect" between the front office and the rest of the franchise, with several people across the organization unsure about the team's direction after a surprising trade deadline.
"People didn't know the plan," one team source said. "They didn't know the process. We needed to move on -- with a clean slate and start this thing over."
The puzzling roster moves accumulated over the years, with one team source describing the 2021 trade for Nikola Vucevic as the team's "original sin." The Bulls traded Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and two first-round picks for Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu.
Team sources said Karnisovas recently expressed remorse for the move, acknowledging that a deal involving two first-round picks should have been the team's final move toward contention rather than an initial one.
The Bulls' draft results proved inconsistent, with their highest selection being the No. 4 pick in 2020 used on Patrick Williams, who later received a five-year, $90 million extension despite middling performances.
Chicago now begins its search for a new head of basketball operations, only the third such search since the start of the millennium. The organization faces critical decisions about coach Billy Donovan's future and must establish a clear direction after years of organizational uncertainty.
