Chicago's front office group, led by Arturas Karnisovas, has been the center of the majority of the fanbase's frustrations. From draft busts to unsuccessful trades to lackluster trade deadline maneuvers, his tenure with the Bulls has been a mess. Patrick Williams and Dalen Terry continue to fail to make high-level contributions. Nikola Vucevic's acquisition set the franchise back several years, Zach LaVine's extension handcuffed the team's cap situation for multiple offseasons, and trade deadline mismanagement has left plenty of unclaimed assets on the table. When the 2025 NBA Draft arrived, the Bulls missed the chance to grab the number one overall pick by a coin flip; they ended in the 12th slot. Instead of drafting the heavily preferred Derik Queen from the University of Maryland, they ended up grabbing Noa Essengue, an unproven talent from overseas.
Billy Donovan Preferred Derik Queen
Derik Queen should be a Chicago Bull. He was the perfect fit for the current group, had shown polished skills at the collegiate level, and is only 20 years old. Instead, the franchise opted for an 18-year-old developmental project, even though Karnisovas has remained adamant that they're constantly in a win-now stage, and that is the priority. Picking Essengue over Queen contradicts every statement that Chicago's front office has stood behind for their entire tenure. In a recent statement, head coach Billy Donovan admitted that he was pulling for the team to select the former Terrapin big man.
Billy Donovan says Derik Queen was one of the guys the front office asked him to watch predraft. More on what he learned about him during the draft process: pic.twitter.com/fOgWjLymld
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) November 25, 2025
This is not the first time that others have preferred a different selection to Karnisovas, yet his opinion has overruled the general opinion within the building. Last time, the difference swapped a bench-riding bust of a top-five pick with an All-NBA level superstar.
"Some portions" of the Bulls front office were "very, very high" on Tyrese Haliburton leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft and wanted the team to take him at No. 4 overall, @NickFriedell says.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) May 27, 2025
Those voices didn't win out over Arturas Karnisovas' choice to select Patrick Williams. pic.twitter.com/IYDxu6MAWj
Derik Queen Is Putting Karnisovas's Job At Risk
The decision to select the 18-year-old French forward has come back to bite the Chicago Bulls in the early going. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Queen is well on pace to earn an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod. Through the first 20% of their rookie campaigns, Essengue has seen the floor for six minutes, scored zero points, and is firmly planted back in the G-League. Meanwhile, Queen has played in 18 contests, started six of them, and posted over 12 points and six rebounds per game. He's scored over ten points in eight games, including two games of 26 and 30 points on 66.7% shooting from the field. To add insult to injury, he's recorded a block in ten games and over seven rebounds in nine.
First of many double-doubles for Derik Queen:
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 22, 2025
20 PTS
7 REB
11 AST
2 STL pic.twitter.com/CdP5FIR8gw
Billy Donovan wasn't the only one imploring Chicago's front office to grab the star center. Bulls fans were hopeful they'd add Queen, and crushed when they passed on him after he fell to their pick.
.@BigAntHerron wishes the Bulls had drafted Derik Queen this past summer. pic.twitter.com/RJ7g1BUm3v
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) November 25, 2025
Add this draft fumble to a growing list of regrettable decisions by Karnisovas and his leadership group. Is this the final straw for what's been a disastrous job by Chicago's front office over the last several years?
