The Bulls keep winning.
More specifically, executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas continues to win.
Not one game has been played by the suit or his team since mid-April, not one player on the roster added or gone, not a single draft pick made, but Karnisovas has kicked up his legs, thrown his arms behind his head and is basking in the sun of offseason misfortune around him.
First, Karnisovas watched the supposed up-and-coming Eastern Conference powerhouse Cavaliers fall in the postseason and get exposed by a style of play the Bulls feel they can play. Then that Celtics ‘‘dynasty’’ came up short. They not only lost to the Knicks in the second round but will be without All-NBA wing Jayson Tatum (ruptured Achilles) most of next season.
The draft lottery was a gut punch for Karnisovas, especially seeing the Mavericks defy the odds and go from No. 11 to No. 1 overall, but once the smoke cleared, the Bulls can sleep better at night knowing that projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and No. 2 pick Dylan Harper are headed to the other conference, with the Mavs and Spurs on the clock for those top picks.
Let the West deal with those headaches.
Meanwhile, the Bulls need frontcourt help in the draft, and the latest intel has help sliding their way, whether that’s Maryland big man Derik Queen, South Carolina defensive stopper Collin Murray-Boyles or Georgia rim runner Asa Newell.
Then the latest shoe dropped as the Knicks reverted to the clown show of an organization they were before 2020 by parting ways with coach Tom Thibodeau. No big deal as far as the Bulls were concerned? Not exactly true, considering Thibodeau has made it a point to punish his former organization. He has a 15-8 record against the Bulls since his dismissal.
Even with a lot breaking his way, however, Karnisovas still has plenty of work to do, especially if he wants to continue flipping the roster while staying competitive. It’s a curious choice, considering the 2025 and ’26 draft classes, but he refuses to stray off that path.
The Bulls have $135 million committed to next season’s cap and also have a free-agent hold of $25.1 million for Josh Giddey’s contract and their first-round pick in a few weeks, so there’s not much room to play with as far as the shopping bin.
That’s not a real issue because Karnisovas has leaned on the trade route more often the last few seasons. That won’t change as Nikola Vucevic, Zach Collins, Kevin Huerter, Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White are heading into expiring contracts and will entertain at least discussions from Karnisovas.
Trade possibilities
Daniel Gafford returns to the Bulls — Gafford has been rumored to be on the move this summer, and the Sun-Times reported last month that Bulls guard Lonzo Ball would fit what the Mavericks are looking to add with Kyrie Irving’s 2025-26 season filled with uncertainty after his March ACL surgery.
If the Bulls go best available player in the draft, and it’s a guard, they still lack an athletic rim runner who can improve their rim protection. Gafford would change that and has an expiring contract that fits the current timeline.
Ball, who is signed for $10 million next season with a team option for the year after that, gives Dallas time to bring Irving back. The kicker in the deal could be Jevon Carter’s player-option contract, cleaning that off the Bulls’ books.
Jonathan Kuminga finally a Bull — Kuminga has been a Bulls rumor for months, but how exactly could Karnisovas land the restricted free agent? It would have to come through a sign-and-trade.
The Warriors would send the 22-year-old forward to Chicago and get back a package of Vucevic, Ball and likely a protected first-round pick.
A big swing named Zion — The Pelicans are finding out that Zion Williamson continues to be more headache than roster centerpiece. Obviously, the latest legal allegations are a concern, but if that issue gets resolved, would New Orleans be willing to finally give up on Williamson? A package of White and Vucevic could get it done at this point.