Changes were coming.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas made that very loud and clear in his end-of-the-season interview back in April after watching his team again eliminated in the play-in round of the Eastern Conference.
That first domino was pushed over on Thursday, as Bulls public relations confirmed that defensive standout Alex Caruso was traded to an Oklahoma City organization that has pursued him for two seasons, getting back play-making guard Josh Giddey in return.
“We will look for ways to improve and we will address our shortcomings through the draft, trades and free agency,” Karnisovas said back in April. “I take full responsibility, however, and recognize when changes need to be made, and I believe that time is now.”
But why “now,” especially when there were numerous offers made league-wide for Caruso since last summer that also included 2024 draft picks?
First of all, Karnisovas and the front office were working under the marching orders of reaching the playoffs. Doing that without Caruso was felt to be all but an impossibility, especially with Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams out with foot surgeries and Lonzo Ball again sidelined the entire 2023-24 campaign because of his surgically repaired left knee.
There’s also an understanding of what was ahead.
The ’24 draft class is a crap shoot from the first pick until all the way through the second round. Adding assets from that class is throwing darts as the board with a blindfold on. If sending a two-time All-NBA Defensive player out for the 21-year-old Giddey, who has shown promise, means taking a step back in the standings, so be it.
The Bulls can retain their first-round pick for the loaded 2025 draft class because it is top-10 protected. If they finish above that it goes to the Spurs in the DeMar DeRozan sign-and-trade.
Giddey doesn’t make the team better in 2024-25. That was on display in the postseason, as he was stripped of minutes and a starting spot in the series against the Mavericks, as Dallas exposed his inability to shoot from three-point range (he’s a career 31% from beyond the line) and his defensive inconsistencies.
He now goes to a team that needs him to be the initiator that he is on offense, while also allowing him to work on improving his three-point shot.
And if it doesn’t go well for Giddey and the Bulls?
There’s an exit strategy in place with the former No. 6 overall pick from the 2021 draft eligible to negotiate a rookie-scale extension or become a restricted free agent and let the market set the price on him.
Caruso had completely outplayed his current deal and was eligible for a huge payday. The Thunder inherited that, with Caruso able to sign a four-year, $80 million deal six months from now.
So with one domino down what falls next for the Bulls?
A source told the Sun-Times that the Zach LaVine market has picked up from where it was at the end of the regular season, giving Karnisovas and the front office hope that they can move the two-time All-Star.
With only a few coveted free agents hitting the market at the end of the month and more than a handful of teams already being told through back channels that they will likely be out of the running, adding a two-time All-Star like LaVine through a trade might be the only option.
That doesn’t mean the Bulls will be getting much value back long term, but it will again fit into the mindset of taking a step back for ’25 and looking to push forward after that draft plays out.
It’s not a great draft class, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t gems to be found. Considering the recent state of the Bulls and the confusing direction of the organization, exec Arturas Karnisovas & Co. need to hit it big.
For decades, it made sense whenever a proverbial program CEO turned down the grind of the pros. But now, with the nonstop, Wild West nature of life with the transfer portal and NIL, an escape plan will be more attractive.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
