After cleaning house in the front office, the Chicago Bulls created one of the NBA's most intriguing jobs. Any new leader will have attractive roster-building options at their disposal — but the position also comes with obvious risks.
On April 6, the organization fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. Whoever takes their place will have some critical decisions to make if they want to drag the franchise out of mediocre futility.
But the cupboard of assets to accomplish that isn't totally barren.
The Bulls finally hit the reset button in the front office
Chicago let go of Karnisovas and Eversley after six seasons of confounding decisions: moves that took too long to make, were never made at all, or ones that were simply wrong.
Under Karnisovas, the Bulls had one winning season and one playoff appearance, which came in 2021–22 when they were quickly dispatched by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
Perhaps the most significant move of this regime was the acquisition of Nikola Vucevic, who cost the team Wendell Carter Jr. and two first-round picks. (Oops.) The following summer, Karnisovas added Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso to the pair of Vucevic and Zach LaVine.
Even after it became clear that core wasn't taking the Bulls anywhere, Karnisovas couldn't bring himself to tear it down and move on. He dealt Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey, which can be considered a win. But DeRozan, LaVine, Vucevic and Ball netted nothing of real value in return.
But despite all his mistakes, Karnisovas left his successor some tools with which to rebuild.
Why the Bulls GM job is one of the most attractive in the NBA
First and foremost, Chicago is set to have $65 million of cap space this offseason, the most of any team in the league.
The Bulls have control of all their own first-round picks, including a lottery selection this summer in a loaded 2026 draft class. After Karnisovas acquired eight second-round picks at this year's trade deadline, they have 13 second-rounders between now and 2032.
Giddey and Matas Buzelis are already in place as cornerstones. Buzelis could push for an all-star spot next season if he continues on his current trajectory.
It's low-key an enticing situation to walk into.
Running the Bulls comes with clear drawbacks
The blazing red flag staring into the eyes of whoever takes this job? An ownership group that prioritizes its bottom line over building a contender. Unless that changes, this position feels borderline impossible.
Outside of Giddey and Buzelis, the roster is pretty devoid of talent. Five players could realistically hit free agency this summer, potentially more. Noa Essengue, last year's lottery pick, played two games as a rookie before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery.
Rob Dillingham (21 years old) and Leonard Miller (22) have youth and potential on their side, but they can't be considered building blocks at this stage.
Muddying the water even further is the organization's reported desire to hold onto Billy Donovan, meaning whoever steps in may not have the option of choosing their own head coach. Which would make for a weird dynamic.
Whoever the new top decision maker is, they'll have the chance to rebuild one of the NBA's flagship organizations from the ground up. That's good. Unfortunately, it's not quite that straightforward.