The Chicago Bulls have spent the past five seasons in NBA mediocrity. Under executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and head coach Billy Donovan, Chicago has made just one playoff appearance with a combined regular-season record of 195-205.
Now, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley, Chicago looks to continue their middling ways, with new contract extensions for Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley.
Per Cowley's reporting, the franchise is preparing to offer Donovan another deal. He signed a four-year, $24 million extension with the team in 2022, with that deal set to expire at the end of the 2025-26 season.
"The source speculated that it was always going to happen," Cowley wrote. "But Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley needed to get their own extensions first, and that has happened."
Bulls' Front Office Extensions
The news of the franchise choosing to extend their top decision-makers was first reported by Drew Stevens of 'The Bigs'. Following Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf's history, the details of the deals have yet to, and will likely never, be made public.
Cowley believes that Chicago's front office is dead-set on giving Donovan another deal. He reports that the two sides have been in discussions since the end of the season, around the same time Karnisovas and Eversley were reportedly extended.
“I think the extensions for the suits are done. And I don’t think it was over this last week. I’m 99.9 percent sure from the people that I’ve talked to that Arturas has been done for a while,” Cowley said on 670 The Score. "It’s safe to say Arturas has been done for months and was probably done either near the end of the season or just when the season ended.”
The Donovan extension would likely be announced in a more public manner. Regardless of when it happens, his deal comes off the heels of being contacted by the New York Knicks to take their head coach opening. Chicago denied New York's request for a Donovan interview, joining multiple NBA teams to deny the Knicks the chance to poach their coach.
Under the three-headed snake of Karnisovas, Eversley, and Donovan, Chicago has made three-straight NBA Play-In appearances, losing each time to the Miami Heat. They have one total playoff win, coming against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022, and have maxed out at 46 regular-season wins.
In hopes of re-energizing the franchise and fan base before the NBA Draft, Chicago has once again chosen to play it safe and not make any changes. However, as seen in their recent history, 'playing it safe' has not paid off.
Less Than 1 Week from the 2025 NBA Draft
The news of Chicago's contract extensions comes just a week before the 2025 NBA Draft, where the Bulls are slated to pick 12th overall. If they don't trade the pick, it will be Chicago's fifth time selecting in the lottery in the past ten drafts.
Rumored targets for the Bulls next week are South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles, St Joseph's Rasheer Fleming, and Washington State's Cedric Coward. Chicago needs to prioritize defense in the draft, but as seen, it has yet to be a top priority with this front office.
They could also trade up in hopes of landing a player like Duke's Khaman Maluach, who would be a perfect rim-protecting big that would easily slide in the Bulls' rotation. Recently, it was reported that Chicago is keen on trading center Nikola Vucevic during the draft, a move that could land them a higher pick.
"I think he's moved before draft day or it could happen draft night."@camronsmith and @DavidHaugh on a potential Nikola Vucevic trade 👀#ChicagoLead pic.twitter.com/m4k5Njd8nT
— Bulls on CHSN (@CHSN_Bulls) June 18, 2025
As things stand now, however, the Chicago Bulls are set to stay in their ways, with an eighth-seed playoff berth at best, and a bottom-seven to ten record at worst. While they haven't reached the depths of teams like the Charlotte Hornets or Washington Wizards, their near .500 record in the 2020s feels almost worse.
Karnisovas asked fans for patience in his end-of-season press conference, and after waiting for more than a decade for a playoff series win, Bulls fans look to be out of patience. Only a blockbuster, league-changing move will turn this current Chicago lineup into one that can make noise in the postseason. But as seen, the front office has no history of ever taking that type of risk.