Bulls have started interview process with candidates for new VP role

Michael Reinsdorf admittedly wasn’t working with the widest of nets back in March of 2020.

There was a global pandemic to deal with, the team president didn’t have the longest list of names in his contacts, and the interview process was old school, done on phone and Zoom calls because of what was going on in the world.

Those were the circumstances former executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas was hired under.

“Weird” was how Reinsdorf described it earlier this month.

Things have changed.

The Sun-Times confirmed a Monday report that the Bulls and the hiring firm they have been working with have started to receive permission to begin interviewing candidates to replace the recently fired Karnisovas, with a list that included Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Pistons senior VP Dennis Lindsey, Hawks senior VP Bryson Graham, Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey, Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep and basketball agent Austin Brown.

A source also indicated that there were at least three other mystery candidates involved in the interview process as well.

“We’ll talk to more people and get a better understanding of what some other organizations do, what things do they do right, what things do they do wrong? How can we get better?” Reinsdorf said of the process when he met with the media several weeks ago.

He also made it very clear that the time was right for a change and the Bulls were sitting in a very positive direction heading into this offseason.

“We have all our draft picks going forward,” Reinsdorf said. “We have (injured rookie) Noa (Essengue) coming back, which is basically having a second top 10 pick, and then we have $65 million in cap space. I just feel like now is the time. We’re in position to get this right, clean slate.”