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Karnisovas has a team that is growing distrustful about the direction in which it is going, he still has seven potential free agents come July and he has a product that remains stuck in the same swamp of mediocrity it has resided in the previous three seasons. What he has on his side is the trade deadline Thursday, which gives him a chance to try to right his own wrongs.
Artūras Karnišovas, a forward who averaged 11.2 points per game during Lithuania’s bronze-medal run, called the 1992 Games “a truly special time in my life.” Karnišovas is now executive vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls. “The chance to represent Lithuania as an independent country after so many years made it even more meaningful,” Karnišovas told The Athletic. “What Bob Weir and the Grateful Dead did for us is something I will never forget, and we, both as a team and as a country, are incredibly grateful for their support. Without it, we probably wouldn’t have had the means to train, travel, or even qualify for the 1992 Olympics. At the time, I was just a college sophomore. Little did we know that this tie-dyed story and experience would grow into something so powerful and lasting for so many years.”
According to several league sources, Karnisovas has been more transparent in trade talks and more realistic in asking prices since last year’s trade deadline. The feeling from other executives is that that momentum is carrying over heading toward the Feb. 5 trade deadline as Karnisovas looks to get something done with this roster.
According to several league sources, going back to last year’s trade deadline Karnisovas has been more transparent in trade talks and realistic in asking prices. The feeling from other executives is going into this year’s Feb. 5 deadline, that momentum is carrying over toward Karnisovas looking to get something done with this current roster.
There comes a point in a game where your star has to shine brighter than the other team’s star. Do the Bulls have that dude? Maybe it will be Matas Buzelis, Giddey or even a healthy White. But it’s not clear they have that player now. Is there a trade out there to be made, especially with six players — including White — on expiring contracts? That’s a question executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas will explore. He had better.
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KC Johnson: Karnišovas says Coby White will be limited by a calf strain suffered in August. “Hopefully we can see him by end of preseason.”
"It has been very good. We have good communication," Vucevic said, talking about his relationship with Bulls V.P. of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas. "He has always been pretty open with me. Even just a couple of weeks ago, when the buyout news came out, he actually texted me to tell me not to worry about it and not to read into it," he said. "I have known AK for a long time. When I did my pre-draft workout, he was with Houston and took me out to dinner for an interview. So I have known him for a very long time," Vucevic added.
According to a source, the Bulls and Karnisovas have been more responsive to trade talks than they have been in the past. And while Ball, Vucevic and White are all possibilities to be moved, the name atop Karnisovas’ list to deal entering the first round of the NBA Draft on Wednesday is Patrick Williams.
Joe Cowley: Arturas Karnisovas will not address the media on draft night for the first time since taking that seat. GM Marc Eversley will instead speak. Interesting. AK probably doesn't want to deal with questions about the secret extensions going on. pic.x.com/mG7XX5heZa
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A source told the Sun-Times that Arturas Karnisovas and his front office would have offered anyone and everyone on the roster had they been notified by the Mavericks that Luka Doncic was available in February.
News reached Bulls players that Karnisovas made the decision to fire director of player development/shooting coach guru Peter Patton after the loss to Miami in Wednesday’s play-in game, leaving a core of current players “beyond pissed,” as one said in a text. “Coach Pete was the real deal … (messed) up,” another player said. Not just smoke coming from the locker room for the wildly popular Patton, but a full fire. Throughout this season, players like Coby White, Patrick Williams, Dalen Terry, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis all publicly praised the work they put in with Patton and the benefits it had on their game.
According to a source, Patton was a guy that also liked to shoot from the hip and speak his mind when asked. The feeling is that while Karnisovas often asks opinions, “They have to fit his,” the source said.
Even more concerning, Karnisovas admitted that the roster could look similar next season, with the Bulls hitting financial flexibility in the 2026 offseason. But they refuse to take steps back in the standings — increasing the odds to hit on a high draft pick — despite the 2025 and ’26 classes being loaded, especially at the top. Karnisovas doesn’t seem to have the patience for that or want to go through the pain it takes to sink that low. “I do believe that the way we wanted to build this roster is basically by having players that have experience to kind of shrink the timeline and continuously look for other ways to improve,” Karnisovas said. “I think [coach] Billy [Donovan] spoke about how important it was for this young group to focus on winning and what goes into winning, instead of just rolling the ball out and telling them, ‘Go and develop.’ That’s the path we chose.”
