The Bulls recently signed executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas to an extension without any public fanfare, a source told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. Although Chicago is coming off a 40-42 season and a play-in tournament exit, Mayberry points out that Karnisovas still has a strong relationship with chief operating officer Michael Reinsdorf.
Despite the extension, there’s reason to believe the organization’s faith in Karnisovas may be declining, Mayberry adds. He notes that Karnisovas has let the last three windows for improvement — the past two trade deadlines and the 2022 offseason — pass without a significant roster upgrade, leaving Chicago stuck as roughly a .500 team with no obvious way to improve.
There’s still confidence within the organization that things are headed in the right direction, according to Mayberry. Insiders cite a cultural change since the new regime took over and point out that the Bulls had a top-five defense this season. However, until those improvements result in more wins, there’s a chance that a change will be eventually made at the top.
There’s more from Chicago:
- The success that Lauri Markkanen had in Utah should make the Bulls more reluctant to consider trading Patrick Williams this summer, Mayberry adds. He notes that Williams showed steady improvement after injuries limited him to 17 games last season and states that Chicago could use more players with Williams’ size and versatility.
- Patrick Beverley quickly became a leader when he joined the Bulls in February, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. The team went 14-9 after signing Beverley following a buyout, as he provided toughness along with a defensive presence. Johnson notes that Beverley recently said on his podcast that he wants a new contract starting at $15MM a year, but the Bulls only have his Non-Bird rights and are limited to a $3.8MM offer unless they use their mid-level exception.
- The Bulls also face a decision on DeMar DeRozan, who will become eligible this summer for an extension worth up to $179MM over four years, Johnson states in a mailbag column. DeRozan has been an All-Star in both of his seasons with Chicago, but Johnson doesn’t believe the Bulls will rush into a decision — either by extending or trying to trade him.
If Beverley pulls this $15mil thing off, he’s hands down king of Smoke & Mirrors.
In fact, the 15 might even be smoke & mirrors… he might just be saying that just to trick some team into giving him $36-40 over 3 years.
He can’t actually think he is gonna get 15M.
I’d be surprised if he gets 5.
Demar is headed to the Sun’s or Knicks. Patrick is going back to Minnesota.
How are the suns trading for Demar? Chris Paul + picks? Not a deal I’d take
Ayton
Whats the length of the extension?
Garbage organization, they don’t deserve to ever win again until the team is sold
Tear it down and rebuild properly!
DeRozan to the Knicks ……
Toppin, Quickley, and a #1 pick
Bulls were 46-36 last yr. And this yr there were too many injuries. Ball is still the real Xfactor here. So you get Quickley just in case. Then you can move Coby and Knicks pick to get deeper. Toppin can start with Williams and Vucevic. Let’s do this …….
Quickley and 2 1st is better. Knick need toppin.
Smart move by Bev asking for 15. Someone will be dumb enough to get talks down to 7-8 mil and he’ll take it
Dillon Brooks, Kyrie, and Bev are in for a humbling summer. People love conflict and drama but teams trying to win are terrified of it. Authenticity can be commended but that doesn’t make their antics and volatility any less fiscally irresponsible
Kyrie is the only legitimately talented difference maker in this whole free agency class. He will get something close to he Mas on atleast 3 years. It’s a winner league and the supply is way below the demand.