CHICAGO (670 The Score) – As has become tradition, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas failed to clearly outline the organization’s direction as another transaction window came and went.
The Bulls didn’t make any trades Thursday as the deadline passed at 2 p.m. CT. To many across the league, that inaction was another odd decision by the Bulls after they had shipped two-time All-Star guard Zach LaVine, their best player, to the Kings in a three-team trade four days earlier. That move – in which Chicago received three role players and the full rights back to its own 2025 first-round pick – signaled a step toward a rebuild, but the Bulls didn’t follow through Thursday by further paring veterans from their roster.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying with center Nikola Vucevic. The Bulls shopped him on the trade market but found no deal to their liking, with the most significant of the discussions coming with the Warriors, according to reports. The retention of Vucevic came a day after the Bulls reached a two-year, $20-million contract extension with point guard Lonzo Ball, another trade chip who stayed put.
Afterward, Karnisovas held a meandering press conference in which he acknowledged the team took a “step back” and is in a “transitional phase” while also preaching patience and raising the possibility of the Bulls reaching the play-in tournament and perhaps even the playoffs. Karnisovas characterized the Bulls as “active” in trying to make moves Thursday and indicated he’ll be busy again in the summer.
“As I stated earlier this season, changes needed to be made, and we’re taking the opportunity to learn, pivot and take necessary steps to reshape our team,” Karnisovas said. “These moves help us to be more in control of our future. I know fans want a specific plan, and we’re charting that now.
We’re not done yet. We’re in a transitional phase, and there’s more to come.
“We’re committing to building a sustainable, competitive team. We’re not OK with being in the middle. We’re curating a team that competes at a high level, and competing for a championship has been our goal.
“It can be a long process, and sometimes it requires taking a step back before moving forward. Our commitment to the goal has not changed.
This will take some time to fully unfold, but we have already made a significant shift.”
As of Thursday morning, the Bulls sat at 22-30 and in 10th place in the East, which was good for the final play-in berth. They’re one game ahead of the 11th-place 76ers. In his opening statement before taking questions, Karnisovas addressed the state of the team as it relates to competing for a play-in spot.
“The next 30 games will determine if we will be in the play-in and playoffs,” Karnisovas said. “This is something that is achievable, and our guys are capable of getting there.”
It was that comment that showcased Karnisovas’ muddled vision, at least in how he publicly shares it. It was pointed out to him that teams usually don’t trade their best player and proclaim a desire to get out of the middle while simultaneously making a push for a play-in tournament berth, which by definition is the middle or worse.
Karnisovas’ answer suggested he’s at peace with whatever happens next, and he didn’t showcase a strong opinion on what’s best for the organization.
“If in the next 30 games we’re going to be out of the play-in and out of the playoffs, we’ll get a good pick,” Karnisovas said. “But at the same time, if we with this young team can make the play-in and playoffs, it’s going to be an accomplishment. Because if your young guys are developing and it translates into wins, I think there’s growth.”
The best asset the Bulls received in their LaVine trade was their own 2025 first-round pick back from the Spurs. That pick was top 10-protected this season, meaning it was unlikely to convey as the Bulls currently hold the eighth-worst record in the NBA. The pick was then top eight-protected in 2026 and 2027 before turning into a second-rounder.
While it’s hard to predict how the next two seasons will play out, there’s an argument to be made that the Bulls never would’ve needed to convey the Spurs a first-round pick if they fully committed to a rebuild now and accepted being in the bottom eight each of the next two years.
“The calculation that went into getting our pick back is so we have freedom this season and years to come,” Karnisovas said in response to that argument.
While the Bulls’ vision remains difficult to convey from Karnisovas himself, taking a step back gives us more clarity. Despite his references to the play-in tournament, the Bulls know they got worse in the past few days. While they were inactive Thursday and didn’t take further advantage of an opportunity to enhance their draft odds, the Bulls were just days removed from making a significant trade in moving LaVine, who joined star forward DeMar DeRozan and defensive ace Alex Caruso as key veterans to exit since last June.
Part of Karnisovas’ evasiveness could stem from the fact that he has no clear path to obtaining a star player, and he tangentially referenced that at one point by explaining his focus is on compiling a group of nine or 10 “very good players.”
How many very good players – or future very good players – the Bulls have right now is up for debate, but they’re clearly a long ways away.
“By getting our pick back and not to worry about where we’re going to land this year, there’s an opportunity during the draft to land another young player and consistently, obviously, look for opportunities to get a star player," Karnisovas said. "I think in terms of moving forward, I think there’s different structures that you can try to get to a championship. There’s two or three star players (on a team) and then a lot of role players or you can build it with nine, 10 very good players. And I think now we’re leaning toward to have a lot of solid, good players – nine, 10 that can last through a season, because there’s going to injuries. I think more and more teams are doing that.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.