With one winning season and one playoff appearance during their six seasons running the Chicago Bulls’ front office, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley were fired Monday.
Hired at the start of the 2020-21 campaign along with head coach Billy Donovan, Karnisovas and Eversley finished 224-254. The 2021-22 season was the lone bright spot. The Bulls finished 46-36 and made the postseason, only to be bounced in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
Chicago (29-49) started 5-0 and won six of its first seven games, but will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Chicago entered Monday 12th in the Eastern Conference
After the hot start in 2025-26, injuries and losses piled up rapidly as the Bulls experienced four losing streaks of a minimum of five games.
To “get out of the middle,” as Karnisovas termed it, the Bulls moved seven players at the trade deadline, including fan favorites Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White, but have little to show for it. Per ESPN, the deals did not bring any future pieces or drastically improve the team’s odds in the draft lottery. Jaden Ivey, acquired at the deadline in a three-team deal, was waived last week due to concerns about his off-court behavior and anti-LGBTQ statements.
“These decisions are never easy, especially when they involve people we respect both personally and professionally,” Chicago Bulls owner Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “We are grateful for their dedication and the work they’ve put in over the past six years. At the same time, we have not had the success our fans deserve, and it’s my responsibility to go in a new direction.
“This move is about positioning our team for sustained success moving ahead. I want our fans to know that I hear you and understand your frustration. I feel it as well. I know this will take time, and I am fully committed to getting this right. At the Chicago Bulls, our focus remains on building a team that can compete at the highest level and ultimately contend for championships. We are committed to taking the necessary steps to move the Bulls forward in a way that makes our fans proud.”
The Bulls last won a playoff series in 2015 following the 2014-15 season, taking down the Cavaliers, 4-2, in a best-of-seven to open the postseason. They lost to the Celtics in the second round, 4-2.
