The Chicago Bulls have been stuck in NBA purgatory for years now, and most fans have put the blame squarely on the GM, Arturas Karnisovas. Even after another uneventful summer, veteran big man Nikola Vucevic came to his defense and encouraged patience for the fans who have grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress.
“When he first got there, I thought he made some very good moves, signing Lonzo, Caruso, Vucevic, and DeMar," said Vucevic. "I thought it was a very good team; it just did not work out. After that, sometimes it is hard to figure out what to do next. We had a lot of injuries and other challenges, but overall, I think he has done a good job."
Vucevic blames more natural and uncontrollable circumstances for the Bulls' struggles, and he believes they are on the upward track. Speaking on this offseason, Vucevic argued that they've made some "good moves" with their activity in the draft and their shift toward younger players.
"Now they have decided to go with slightly younger players, and they did a good job in the draft as well," Vucevic said. I think it is understandable that fans want results right away, but sometimes you need to be patient. Overall, I think he has done some pretty good things.”
To Vucevic's point, the Bulls were ravaged with injuries that completely decimated their core with Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine. While it was viewed as an awkward partnership at first, they showed flashes of greatness in the 2021-22 campaign when they rose to the top of the standings with a record of 27-13. If not for Lonzo going down with a knee injury (that kept him out for two and a half seasons), they might have been able to contend for the title.
The Bulls have yet to return to that level of play, and it's now been 15 years since they were in the championship conversation, led by Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in 2011. Instead of making the necessary adjustments, the Bulls have been dragging their feet on building a fresh start, and fans have every reason to be upset.
After trading Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, the Bulls lack a clear identity or direction for the future. What's worse is that they don't have that A+ prospect to build around.
Besides a few notable players like Vucevic, Josh Giddey, Patrick Williams, and Coby White, the Bulls lack true difference-makers on the court, and they don't have a trusted go-to scorer to help carry them in games.
As it stands, the Bulls are an utter mess, and while the GM isn't entirely to blame, his mistakes and inactivity have cost his team dearly. Going into the 2025-26 campaign, expectations couldn't be lower for the Bulls, and their only real hope lies in the development of their young players.
For a franchise that was once at the top of the NBA hierarchy (with Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman), this is not the timeline anyone imagined for them, but all it takes is one player or one move to change their fate and get things trending in the right direction.
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