(670 The Score) After a season that started with great promise ended with the Bulls' flaws on stark display against the league's best and once they encountered injury adversity, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas' publicly stated intention is to bring back the same core and address weaknesses with additions around them.
"We have time now to figure it out, what we're going to do in the summer," Karnisovas said Friday at a season-ending press conference at the Advocate Center. "I hope for continuity. Because we're constantly competing against teams that have been together for three, four, five years. And results come when you obviously keep the same group longer. We'll figure out what additions we need. Is that shooting? Is that defense? Is that size? Athleticism? We're going to sit down and figure it out with the group."
For now, Karnisovas' words remain just that – words. Whether keeping the core intact will be the true course of action will be determined in a couple months, when the NBA Draft is held on June 23 and free agency opens a week after that.
Karnisovas and the Bulls have much to consider. They had success in going 46-36 and reaching the playoffs for the first time in five years, but the Bulls also struggled all season against the league's elite. While the All-Star tandem of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine flourished offensively, their defensive deficiencies left the Bulls with little margin of error on that end. Once backcourt stalwarts Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso suffered injuries, Chicago began falling apart defensively in the second half of the season.
The Bulls also lacked sufficient shooting around DeRozan and LaVine. As a team, they ranked last in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game. While the Bulls converted at the fourth-best clip in the league for the regular season, they also saw their shooting tail off after the All-Star break and disappear against the Bucks while losing their first-round playoff series in five games.
The top priority for the Bulls is bringing two-time All-Star guard LaVine back in free agency, which should happen but could become tricky from a business standpoint. Beyond that, the Bulls will have to decide whether center Nikola Vucevic -- who's extension eligible -- is the right fit in the middle or if they'd be better off shopping him on the trade market for a more defensive-minded big man, one who could better protect the rim and cover for DeRozan and LaVine.
On Friday, Karnisovas and coach Billy Donovan both went out of their way to praise Vucevic's durability, as he played in 73 games for an injury-plagued team. They also both further emphasized the need for continuity after the roster underwent a complete overhaul in 2021.
"We got a lot of work to do," Karnisovas responded when asked how far away the Bulls are from being a serious championship contender. "I understand that this roster is just one year old. I think besides their age, it's playing together for a longer period of time is going to contribute to familiarity and feeling more comfortable in tough situations."
If the Bulls bring back LaVine on a large contract, they'll be an over-the-cap team pushing the luxury tax line but will still have a few avenues to improve. The mid-level exception will be at their disposal. The Bulls also hold the No. 18 pick in the first round of the NBA Draft and own a future first-rounder from the Trail Blazers (top-14 protected). Either of those could be a trade chip, and the Bulls showcased their sign-and-trade wizardry last offseason, so that's another potential path to make an addition.
"We've always been ready for what comes our way," Karnisovas said. "So hopefully we can keep the core together and like you said work around the margins – you (the media) come up with those phrases. But we're going to look at free agents and see what else we need, what do we need to add. We're going to be in the draft, picking at 18, we still have Portland's pick, so we have a couple assets and we'll see what happens."
Karnisovas also believes the Bulls are now a destination franchise after re-establishing credibility this past season.
"I was pleasantly surprised last summer how many people wanted to play in Chicago," Karnisovas said. "Just the history of this franchise, the city of Chicago, and I think anybody that steps into the United Center, they feel the energy and passion, and talking to a lot of people, they agree that it's great that the postseason came back to that building. So I think a lot of people want to play in Chicago. I think Billy's a huge part of it, and stability in terms of from we doing our part as well as a front office and our relationships with players, current players, that they talk, just trying to be ourselves. Chicago is going to be always a great destination for any players."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
