John Paxson had run the Bulls' front office since 2003 until the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas following the 2019-20' season, exciting Chicago fans with his recent success in Denver. His resume includes drafting back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic, star point guard Jamal Murray and solid swing-man Gary Harris. Since arriving in the Windy City, Karnisovas has made some bold moves and been noticeably more aggressive in acquiring talent than the prior regime. With the 2022-23' season not turning out how anyone in Chicago imagined, let's look at his five most significant decisions as the head of the front office and how they've panned out, listed in no particular order.
5. Signing Zach Lavine To A Max-Contract
This past off-season, Zach Lavine was less than 24 hours into the free agency period when he inked a five-year, 215.2 million dollar deal to stay in town. Karnisovas had noted this was the top priority of the off-season, and he got it done. Lavine was coming off his fourth straight season with the Bulls of at least 23 points, four assists, and four rebounds per contest, including two all-star appearances, and by all accounts, was deserving of the payday. The two red flags were a nagging knee injury for which he underwent surgery during the off-season and decreased usage to the new number one option DeMar DeRozan.
Averaging his lowest points, assists, rebounds, and three-point and overall shooting percentages in his last five seasons, Lavine has been the center of much of the blame amid a sub-.500 record season. Shooting 30% during the final five minutes of games, including only 11% from three-point territory, is among the worst in the league and has been a common denominator during losses this year. In his past ten games, he has surged back to normalcy and responded well to the criticism, but he still has a deep hole to dig himself out of to meet the expectations of a top-20 paid player in the NBA. The move by Karnisovas was arguably necessary, given the weak free-agent class and the need for a win-now roster but it has been highly underwhelming thus far.
Final Grade: C+
4. Drafting Patrick Williams Fourth Overall
Calling Patrick Williams a bust is too severe, but saying he lived up to a top-five pick's expectations is ignorant. Considering he has not improved his scoring per game by a single point over his career, and his shooting percentages have shown slight steady improvement, it's safe to say he was not worthy of the fourth overall selection with Karnisovas's first pick as a Chicago Bull. Tyrese Haliburton, Saddiq Bey, Tyrese Maxey, and Desmond Bane were drafted after Williams and have had considerably better careers thus far and have also shown more flashes of upside for the future. The Florida State forward was drawn for his defensive prowess and length on the perimeter, but has yet to prove he deserves to be an everyday starter with his lack of improvement on the offensive side of the floor.
The first top-five selection that Chicago has had since the iconic former MVP Derrick Rose, Patrick Williams, is undoubtedly the biggest whiff of the last five years. Part of the issue with Vice President Karnisovas is his inability to part ways with the overhyped former Seminole, as he was the buzz of many trade rumors over the past few years and was deemed 'untouchable' by the front office leader. Names like Jerami Grant could be wearing a Bulls jersey had Karnisovas cut his losses and moved on from the young wing-man.
Final Grade: C
3. Extending Head Coach Billy Donovan
One of Arturas Karnisovas's first moves as a Bull was bringing in head coach Billy Donovan. Having the best winning percentage in that spot since Tom Thibodeau, the hiring of Donovan has been justified overall. He's steadily improved his record by at least nine wins in his first two seasons and achieved the first playoff appearance in five years for Chicago. Donovan has always been known as an offensive-minded coach, and during the 2022-23' season, that lack of defensive grit is the Achilles heel thus far.
A less than stellar campaign this year has led many to question the 'several-year' extension that Donovan was signed to this off-season, and more head-scratching may have been the news delivery. Shocking news to Chicago fans, he was reportedly signed during the off-season, but the report was not released until a month into the season. Having this team as a former one-seed when healthy, Donovan is a solid head coach but nothing special. This year has been an indication of the control he's got in the locker room, and the 'beyond embarrassing' lack of effort at times has warned fans that he is not suited for the long run in the Windy City without a healthy roster to work with. Given the resurgence of success under his guidance, Karnisovas deserves some benefit of the doubt because, with a fully-tooled lineup, Donovan was running for Coach of the Year just a season ago.
Final Grade: B-
2. Trading For Nikola Vucevic
The final two are, without a doubt, the most significant moves of Karnisovas's tenure with Chicago, starting with the splash trade for a two-time all-star who brought an inside presence to the Bulls that had been missing since Joakim Noah. Trading away recent top-ten selection Wendell Carter Jr. and two first-round picks for the former USC big man, frankly, this trade has been a disaster since being done. Although it excited Chicago fans to see a front office be that aggressive at the deadline and chase a win-now mentality, it failed to scratch expectations.
Having dropped in nearly every statistical category since arriving, Vucevic's all-star days are well behind him. Meanwhile, the Magic have a 23-year-old Carter Jr. averaging a career-best 16 points alongside 8.4 rebounds per game. Orlando also drafted a first-team All-Rookie selection with the first of the two first-round picks. The 2023 first-round selection is only top-four protected for Chicago, so barring a full tank during the second half, the Magic will retain that as well. The end of Vucevic's contract comes at this season's close, and with seemingly little intention to re-sign the Montenegrin center, his stint could end with just one playoff win and zero all-star appearances.
Final Grade: C-
1. Signing DeMar DeRozan
Contrary to Bleacher Report's predictions about DeRozan's arrival to Chicago, he's been nothing short of spectacular. Leading the Bulls to a one-seed in the Eastern Conference during the first half of his first season, being top-five in the MVP race, leading the NBA in clutch time scoring, and being an all-star starter, DeRozan surpassed all expectations coming up from San Antonio. A unanimous top-ten player the last season and a half, being in the range of the top-50 in annual salary is proving to be a steal from Karnisovas.
Averaging the most points in a season since Michael Jordan, DeRozan provided a spark to Chicago that hadn't been seen since the MVP campaign from Derrick Rose. He also led the Bulls to their first playoff win in five years and dropped over 40 points in that outing. This is the lone impressive move made by Arturas Karnisovas during his Chicago Bulls career.
Final Grade: A+
Where To Now?
An overall mediocre report card with a G.P.A. of 2.53, does the new front office leader warrant a longer commitment from the Chicago Bulls, or are his few highlight splashes overshadowing a pattern of sub-par impulsive decisions that are hurting the franchise for years to come?
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