Artūras Karnišovas and the Bulls’ Stuck-in-the-Middle Era: Where’s the Exit Strategy?
For a franchise with six banners in the rafters and a global brand built on dominance, the Chicago Bulls have spent the last half-decade spinning their wheels. And at the center of it all is Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas-once seen as a savvy hire out of Denver, now the face of a front office that just can’t seem to find the accelerator.
Let’s break down how we got here, and why the Bulls remain stuck in NBA purgatory: not bad enough to rebuild, not good enough to contend.
Draft Decisions That Still Sting
When Karnišovas took over in 2020, Bulls fans were hoping for a fresh set of eyes and a modern approach to team-building. Instead, what they’ve gotten is a string of draft-day decisions that have aged like milk.
His first major move came with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft-a prime opportunity to reshape the roster. The choice?
Patrick Williams. While the Florida State product had intriguing tools, the pick was seen as a gamble at the time.
Fast forward five years, and the returns have been underwhelming.
Here’s what Williams has produced since entering the league:
- Year 2: 9.0 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 52% FG
- Year 3: 10.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 46% FG
- Year 4: 10.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 44% FG
- Year 5: 9.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 39% FG
Solid role player numbers? Sure.
But for a top-five pick? The Bulls were hoping for more than just rotation stability.
And yet, despite the plateau in production, Chicago handed him a $90 million extension-an investment that raised more than a few eyebrows.
What makes it worse is who came off the board after him. Players like Desmond Bane and Deni Avdija have already racked up All-Star nods and league honors. Even Tre Jones, a second-rounder that night, has arguably outperformed Williams-and is now wearing a Bulls jersey himself.
Since that draft, Chicago hasn’t had a top-10 pick to work with. That’s not by accident-they traded away the rights to the No. 6 and No. 8 picks in separate deals.
And the returns? Let’s just say they haven’t moved the needle.
A Legacy of Mediocrity
If there’s one word that defines the Karnišovas era, it’s this: middling.
In five seasons, the Bulls have made the playoffs once. They’ve won a single playoff game.
That’s it. Four All-Star appearances across the roster in that span, and just one All-NBA selection.
Meanwhile, the group of players drafted after Patrick Williams in 2020 is on pace to eclipse Chicago’s All-Star total as a franchise during Karnišovas’s tenure.
The Bulls have also boxed themselves into a corner financially. Massive extensions for Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević have made it difficult to pivot or add top-tier talent.
The result? A team that’s good enough to hover around .500, but not nearly good enough to scare anyone in the postseason.
Let’s look at the win-loss column:
206-224.
That’s a .479 winning percentage. For comparison, John Paxson-Karnišovas’s predecessor-posted a .476 clip over his last six years, but made the playoffs four times.
Karnišovas has just one appearance to show for it.
And here’s the kicker: only one other Bulls executive in the modern era made it through 400 games with a sub-.480 record. He didn’t make it to Year 7.
One Trade, Big Consequences
Karnišovas’s first big swing came at the 2021 trade deadline. The Bulls were flirting with playoff contention, and he went all-in to acquire Nikola Vučević from the Orlando Magic.
At the time, it looked like a bold, win-now move. But in hindsight, it’s been a costly one.
Here’s what Chicago gave up:
- Two top-eight picks (which became Franz Wagner and another lottery talent)
- Wendell Carter Jr., a former No. 7 overall pick
Here’s what they got:
- Vučević, who hasn’t made an All-Star team since arriving
- A five-year stretch of stalled momentum
Orlando, meanwhile, used that trade as a springboard into the playoff picture. Chicago? They’ve been chasing their tail ever since.
To make matters worse, Karnišovas followed that deal with a historic drought. From March 2021 to February 2024, the Bulls went 894 days without making a single trade-the longest such streak in the NBA. In a league where flexibility and adaptability are key, that kind of inactivity is almost unheard of.
Missed Opportunities and Lingering Questions
Beyond the draft and the Vučević deal, there have been other head-scratchers. The Bulls passed on Derik Queen to select Noa Essengue in a recent draft-another pick that raised questions about scouting and long-term vision.
Head coach Billy Donovan remains in place, despite a lack of postseason success or player development breakthroughs. And perhaps most glaringly, Chicago failed to capitalize on the trade value of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, holding onto both as their value steadily declined.
Now, with the 2026 trade deadline looming and Karnišovas entering a pivotal sixth year, the question becomes: does he revert to his aggressive early tendencies and shake things up? Or does the Bulls front office continue to ride out this era of inertia?
The Bottom Line
The Bulls aren’t tanking. They’re not contending.
They’re just... existing. And in today’s NBA, that’s the worst place to be.
Artūras Karnišovas was brought in to modernize the franchise and build a sustainable winner. Five years later, the Bulls are still searching for direction-and fans are still waiting for a reason to believe.
If there’s a plan in place, it’s time for it to show. Because the clock is ticking in Chicago, and the patience is wearing thin.