The Chicago Bulls have fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, the team announced Monday.
Karnisovas and Eversley were hired to run the Bulls front office at the start of the 2020-21 season and went 224-254 across six seasons. Chicago achieved only one wining season under Karnisovas’ leadership, in 2021-22, which is also the only year the team made the playoffs — a five-game, first-round exit to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022.
Chicago is currently 29-49 and sitting in 12th in the Eastern Conference, missing the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.
The Bulls began the season 5-0 and won six of their first seven games for the first time since the Michael Jordan era, but began to plummet in the standings due to injury issues and have endured four separate losing streaks of at least five games this season.
At the trade deadline, Chicago flipped over a large portion of its roster, dealing away seven players, including fan favorites such as Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu in an effort, as Karnisovas deemed it, “to get out of the middle.” But Chicago’s deadline moves did not dramatically improve their lottery odds or gain any pieces the team sees as part of its future, sources told ESPN. One of the players the Bulls acquired, Jaden Ivey, was dismissed last week after several social media posts ranging on topics including religion, anti-gay sentiments and depression.
“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.”
