AT THE HEAD of a row of cubicles sit the offices of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, the Chicago Bulls vice president of basketball operations and general manager, respectively. Overlooking the basketball courts below, each office features a sliding glass door that opens up to an indoor balcony, allowing them to watch and observe the team they have constructed.
Karnisovas began pioneering a new vision for the Bulls, soliciting ideas from all corners of the organization—front office members, coaches, and players. This shake-up comes on the heels of another disappointing season where the Bulls were eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament for the second consecutive season. This marks their sixth playoff miss in the past seven years, and the third time in Karnisovas' four-year tenure. In a recent press conference, he took "full responsibility" for the team’s performance.
Major Roster Changes
Reflecting a commitment to revamping the roster, the Bulls let DeMar DeRozan explore free agency, traded away Alex Caruso, and allowed Andre Drummond to leave. In their stead, the organization brought in younger talent including Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, and Jalen Smith, aiming for a youthful infusion to turn the team’s fortunes around.
Marc Eversley explained the strategic shift: "We've gone young. We've got players who are experienced and give us a greater opportunity to have a longer runway for sustainability to winning meaningful games for a longer time."
Player Developments
Among the youth, Coby White emerged significantly, finishing second in the voting for the NBA's Most Improved Player award. Meanwhile, despite expressing a desire to remain in Chicago, DeRozan was traded in a sign-and-trade deal with the Sacramento Kings, who inked him to a three-year, $74 million contract earlier this month. “A thank you would be an understatement,” DeRozan noted in his farewell message, expressing gratitude for his time with the Bulls.
“I love DeMar,” Eversley shared. “He was terrific for our organization the last three years. But I don’t think we were in a position to deliver what he was looking for going forward. He wants to win. He deserves an opportunity to win at a really high level. And arguably, we’re not in that situation right now. As much as it hurt to let him go, I’m extremely happy for him.”
Despite a turbulent relationship with coach Billy Donovan and having undergone season-ending surgery in February, Zach LaVine is expected to return fully recovered and ready for the new season. Eversley highlighted LaVine’s importance, saying, “The most unfortunate situation for Zach last year was that he got hurt. Coming out of camp, he wasn’t right. Him going down early in the season proved that. When he came back, he was pretty good and the team was pretty good. Small sample size, but we can build off that. Simply put, we’re looking forward to having him come back to training camp and joining the team."
Coaching Changes
The Bulls’ coaching staff also saw significant changes, with Mo Cheeks, Chris Fleming, and Josh Longstaff departing. They were replaced by Wes Unseld Jr. and Dan Craig in an effort to bring new perspectives to the team’s strategies.
These personnel changes signal a broader organizational revamp that the Bulls hope will translate into success on the court. “We’ve promised change and we think we’ve executed that,” Eversley stated. “I think the changes being made at all levels of the organization are positive ones. Now it’s time to put in the work and see if some of those changes are going to be fruitful or not.”
Looking Forward
The Bulls have lofty goals as they push forward into the new season, with training camp being held outside of Chicago for the first time in nearly 40 years, on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville. While their 2025 first-round draft pick will go to the San Antonio Spurs, it's top-10 protected, providing some safeguard for future talent acquisition.
While it remains to be seen whether these sweeping changes will finally propel the Bulls back to playoff contention, the new roster and coaching staff represent a clear departure from the strategies of recent years. The message from the top brass is unequivocal—it's a new era in Chicago, with youth, energy, and a hunger for sustained success at its core.