CHICAGO (670 The Score) – While revealing few specifics about how the Bulls can take a meaningful step forward after being eliminated in the play-in tournament for the third straight season, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas did hit on one theme Thursday in his season-ending press conference.
He asked Bulls fans for patience.
“I’m asking for fans to have patience because we’re in the first year of that transition,” Karnisovas said in reference to the Bulls having traded away veterans DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine in the past year. “I thought the way that we finished the year shows some promise. It’s hard to win games in this league, and to finish 15-5 (in the regular season), it’s not a victory lap, but I think there’s some positives. And I think we’ve got to keep on building on this group by adding another player in the lottery, by going to free agency and adding another piece.”
Karnisovas spoke a day after the ninth-seeded Bulls suffered an embarrassing, non-competitive 109-90 loss to the 10th-seeded Heat in the play-in tournament Wednesday at the United Center. The Bulls went 39-43 this season, which was about 11 wins better than the projection of the Vegas oddsmakers, but there remains a number of questions about their future outlook, notably around the lack of a logical path to land a star and the lack of players who have difference-making ability on both ends of the floor.
The Bulls have promising youngsters in the form of 25-year-old guard Coby White, 22-year-old point guard Josh Giddey and 20-year-old forward Matas Buzelis, but each has obvious flaws in his game. In the case of White and Giddey, their defense was subpar. White ranked in the bottom 10% of defensive EPM in the NBA, according to Dunks and Threes, while Giddey checked in at the 44th percentile. In their victory over the Bulls on Wednesday, the Heat relentlessly attacked Giddey early in the game for a series of layups while quickly taking control.
As he has noted before, Karnisovas’ stated goal remains to build around “young players with experience.” As he opened the press conference with a statement Thursday, that idea was one of the four goals he felt like the Bulls achieved this past season. The other action items he cited were the stylistic change to becoming a fast-paced, 3-point-reliant team, the retention of their 2025 first-round pick and the internal development of young players.
Those might sound like decent talking points, but several of them don’t hold up under scrutiny. The Bulls’ stylistic change didn’t actually result in a more efficient offense. Their offensive efficiency dropped a bit in 2024-’25 year over year, though the NBA average dropped a tad too. (And it should be noted that one could also argue that had the Bulls not changed stylistically, their offense would’ve completely cratered instead of producing a similar efficiency.)
To regain the full control of their 2025 first-round pick, the Bulls had to trade away their best player, LaVine, in early February. Beyond the pick, they only got spare parts in return. Buzelis and a few players certainly showcased strong growth, but one of the most important other youngsters regressed considerably. After signing a five-year, $90-million contract, 23-year-old forward Patrick Williams shot a career-worst 39.7% overall and looked extremely slow on the defensive end. Karnisovas admitted Williams had a “tough” season.
So what’s the Bulls’ plan? How will it work? Karnisovas was light on specifics.
“There is a plan,” Karnisovas said. “I think we’re always going to be looking how to improve this roster by adding a player or a high-caliber player. At the same time, I would not put any limitations on this roster or the way Coby has been playing or the way that Josh has been playing. I think those players have a chance of playing at a very high level. We’re constantly going to be looking at ways to improve year to year.
“I can not define the actual timeline, but what we need to do is build on the positives this year and this young group.”
While the final play-in games and lottery must be sorted out, the overwhelmingly likelihood is the Bulls will select 11th, 12th or 13th in the NBA Draft. Asked whether the Bulls are committed to using their own first-round picks to draft and develop players internally in the coming years or if they could trade first-round draft capital once again, Karnisovas kept his options open.
“We’re going to look at everything,” Karnisovas said. “Everything is on the table.”
The Bulls project to have 14 players under contract if they retain Giddey in restricted free agency, use their first-round draft pick and veteran guard Jevon Carter picks up his $6.8-million player option, which is expected. That means their most likely route to revamping the roster this summer is through the trade market, as they’ll be over the cap once Giddey’s deal is on the books.
In another nod to patience, Karnisovas referenced the “financial flexibility” that awaits the team in summer 2026, when much more salary cap space opens for Chicago. It's just going to feel like a long wait for those fans who continue to wonder where the organization is headed.
“We are not where we want to be,” Karnisovas said. “We will look at every opportunity to improve this roster. I think we took right steps with this group, and I think we are on the right path. Again, there are small wins this season with the improvement of our players and playing meaningful games and teaching them what goes into winning.
“There’s a lot to like about this young roster.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.