There is promising news surrounding the Bulls and executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas.
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.
All well and good, considering the Bulls remain a below average product at 19-21, still looking at the play-in tournament, and have seven possible free agents once the season does come to a crashing heap of mediocrity.
But feeling like Karnisovas is trying to get something done and him actually accomplishing a deal are two very different outcomes. The executive knows he has to pick a different path in fixing the damage of far too many passive decisions, and for the first time since taking the job is feeling the pressure from his bosses to get this going in a different direction.
Will that be a tweak or a complete overhaul in the next few weeks?
The league has already seen some shakeups on the trade front with Atlanta moving off the former face of the franchise in Trae Young, shipping him to Washington, one-time Memphis star Ja Morant is seemingly already saying his goodbyes, and now there are reports that disgruntled Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga has asked to be sent elsewhere.
An active trade market bodes well for the Bulls. Well, unless you’re a Bulls player, and one that wants to stay.
For the most part, players stay out of the business of playing general manager. To a man in the Bulls locker room, that’s the overriding opinion. The group knows it’s underachieved but also knows it is yet to be fully whole but for a handful of games. A handful of games, by the way, that lasted for almost 10 days in December and saw the Bulls go 5-1 in that stretch.
“I think as a player you always want to be whole, so I think that’s maybe been a missing piece that we’ve all felt throughout the season,” veteran guard Kevin Huerter said. “It doesn’t feel like we’ve been whole outside (a few) games, so that part kind of sucks.
“Like the other stuff, trade speculation, that’s not for me to worry about. The more you worry about it, get caught up in it, it can affect the way you’re playing on the court. You gotta stick to what we’re supposed to do which is show up every day and try to win. That’s how it will always be as a player. All the other decisions are out of your hands.”
Huerter is well-versed in that lesson.
He was traded from Atlanta after the 2021-22 season, sent to the Kings, and then moved from Sacramento to the Bulls last February, part of the three-team deal that saw Karnisovas move off Zach LaVine.
He admittedly saw both of them coming at the time they happened but didn’t have any say in the matter. That doesn’t mean the locker room feels powerless this time of year, as much as just focusing on controlling what can be controlled.
“Powerless? No. It’s part of the gig, part of being a part of the NBA,” Huerter said. “Your job is to wake up every day and make sure you’re doing what you can to become a better player. When 7 o’clock hits, going out and trying to win. Got to keep that the main mindset.”