The Chicago Bulls bowed out of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament—not exactly gracefully—at the hands of the Miami Heat for the third straight season. It’s now been four years since the team made the playoffs.
The core of that squad consisted of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball and was No. 1 in the East for a portion of that campaign. Then, Ball hurt his knee and never fully recovered.
DeRozan’s consistent scoring carried Chicago for the next few years, while Vucevic did his not-so-impactful double-double thing and LaVine scored in bunches on the rare occasions when he put together a healthy stretch of games. They combined to bring the Bulls to the peak of mediocrity.
And that’s where the team still sits. Not bad enough to have a chance at a franchise-altering prospect like Cooper Flagg, but not good enough to be considered a threat in the postseason.
The front office, consisting of VP of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas and General Manager Marc Eversley, has made several questionable decisions. Perhaps the words “awful,” “terrible,” or “disgusting” would be more fitting.
Regardless, one aspect of their team-building process has hampered the organization more than any other.
Bulls about to suffer another financial setback with Josh Giddey contract
Karnisovas has become the master of disastrous contracts. The most confusing of all is the five-year, $90 million deal he handed to Patrick Williams last summer despite the former top-five pick owning career averages of 9.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists through his first four seasons.
He decided that a 33-year-old Nikola Vucevic, who wasn’t the pinnacle of athleticism during his prime years, deserved a three-year, $60 million extension that now runs through his age-35 season next year.
He signed Jalen Smith to a three-year, $27 million contract to act as Vooch’s backup. Smith played 15.0 minutes per game this season and was phased out of the rotation when Chicago acquired journeyman Zach Collins in the LaVine trade.
Speaking of LaVine, Karnisovas created one of the most painful contract situations in the NBA by giving the former Timberwolves guard a five-year, $215 million max deal that almost immediately turned sour. LaVine was constantly injured and proved his reputation as an offense-first player to the point that the Bulls reportedly needed to attach draft picks to get him away from Chicago.
The most recent disastrous decision by the Bulls’ front office was not reaching an agreement with Josh Giddey before the start of last season. The 22-year-old was far from a sure thing last summer when he arrived from Oklahoma City. The Thunder had no problem ushering him out the door, considering he had no semblance of an outside shot and was a terrible perimeter defender.
He may have been an overpay for the Bulls at the time, but the decision to let him play out the last year of his current deal has backfired in a significantly painful way. Giddey was one of the best point guards in the league after the All-Star break as he nearly averaged a triple-double and shot 45.7 percent from three. Now, he’ll command $30 million or more per year on a new deal.
To recap: Karnisovas saddled the franchise with one of the worst contracts in the NBA point blank by extending Williams, still has an aging center on the roster who offers zero rim protection and will now be, presumably, paying an above-average point guard star money.
Add it to the list of reasons why the Bulls are in desperate need of new leadership—and won’t get it.
