After clearing out the front office, the Chicago Bulls must move quickly to find new leadership. They should start with an ambitious list of names — but they can't be surprised when those elite targets say no.
Moving on from executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley was the right call. The franchise had stagnated and refused to move in any direction, whether closer to a championship or closer to the top of the lottery.
Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf has made clear the qualities he's looking for in a new GM: a strong manager and communicator who is process-oriented, decisive, collaborative and can identify talent.
He immediately made finding that ideal hire unnecessarily difficult, but that's another story.
Anyway, here's a list of some calls Chicago should make, though they should also be prepared to hear a pretty immediate *click* on the other end.
GM candidates the Bulls should pursue but likely won't land
Aside from being forcibly handed Billy Donovan, taking charge in Chicago isn't a terrible proposition.
The Bulls are one of the NBA's most historic franchises and play in a major media market with an enviable fan base. They'll have the most cap space in the league this summer, control of all their own first-round picks, 13 second-round selections over the next seven seasons and two franchise pillars in Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
It's an attractive job ... but probably not attractive enough to acquire any of this trio:
Bob Myers
Bob Myers built the Golden State Warriors dynasty and led the franchise to four NBA titles. He put together a core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. He installed Steve Kerr to lead them. And oh yeah, he signed Kevin Durant.
Myers currently works for ESPN, so he is available if Chicago can convince him to come to the Windy City.
Why Myers won't take the Bulls job: He's turned down better jobs than this one. And he's the president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Philadelphia 76ers in its portfolio.
Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Dunleavy would be a dream hire. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, three of which came in Chicago. He worked his way up the ladder in Golden State and is now the Warriors GM.
The 45-year-old has experience making difficult decisions for a title contender and understands what it's like to play for the Bulls.
Why Dunleavy won't take the Bulls job: Why leave one of the most stable organizations in the NBA for this one?
Zach Kleiman
Zach Kleiman is the GM and executive VP of basketball ops for the Memphis Grizzlies. He's shown a knack for finding gems in the draft, something the Bulls will need to return to relevancy.
He acquired four first-round picks from the Orlando Magic for Desmond Bane and three firsts from Utah for Jaren Jackson Jr. Those are kinds of aggressive moves Chicago's previous regime refused to make.
Kleiman was born in Chicago, went to college in Chicago and grew up a Bulls fan. Maybe rebuilding his hometown team is a challenge the 38-year-old would take on?
Why Kleiman won't take the Bulls job: He just made two massive trades and brought in seven first-round picks. When he unloads Ja Morant, he'll have more cap space. He has a good thing going in Memphis.
These guys probably aren't coming to Chicago. But we can dream right?