DHJ Quick Take
Front Office Overhaul: The Chicago Bulls have officially fired both President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas and General Manager Marc Eversley.
Coaching Stability: Despite the massive changes at the executive level, the organization wants head coach Billy Donovan to return for the next season.
Source: This information regarding the team’s desire to retain Donovan amidst the front office firing was reported by ESPN.
The Chicago Bulls want head coach Billy Donovan to return next season after firing president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley, per ESPN.
Karnišovas and Eversley were hired to run the Bulls’ front office at the start of the 2020-21 season and went only 224-254 across six seasons.
The Bulls hired Donovan in 2020. As of this writing, Donovan is 224-254 in the regular season and 1-4 in the playoffs with Chicago.
“These decisions are never easy, especially when they involve people we respect both personally and professionally,” Bulls owner Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “We are grateful for their dedication and the work they’ve put in over the past six years. At the same time, we have not had the success our fans deserve, and it’s my responsibility to go in a new direction. This move is about positioning our team for sustained success moving ahead.
“I want our fans to know that I hear you and understand your frustration. I feel it as well. I know this will take time, and I am fully committed to getting this right. At the Chicago Bulls, our focus remains on building a team that can compete at the highest level and ultimately contend for championships. We are committed to taking the necessary steps to move the Bulls forward in a way that makes our fans proud.”
Donovan could step away from basketball after this season. It’s been an emotional year for the Hall of Famer, who lost both his father and mother-in-law within weeks of each other.
Chicago made the playoffs in 2022 behind Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Nikola Vučević and Alex Caruso. All those guys are gone now, as LaVine and DeRozan are on the Sacramento Kings, Vučević is on the Boston Celtics, Caruso is on the Oklahoma City Thunder and White is on the Charlotte Hornets.
The Bulls, who are currently building around Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, will have their own lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and nearly $60 million in cap space to use in free agency this offseason. It will be intriguing to see who is running the team next season and if Donovan comes back.
Chicago won six championships in the ’90s during the Michael Jordan–Scottie Pippen–Phil Jackson era. The franchise hasn’t been back to the NBA Finals since 1998.