Get the popcorn ready: Here’s how next GM could move Bulls forward

There were so many big mistakes and mysterious decisions during the tenure of former Bulls basketball operations boss Arturas Karnisovas.

Still, better messaging might have changed everything. At the end of last season, Karnisovas claimed the Bulls were on the right track. Then on draft night, right-hand man Marc Eversley tried to buy more time by warning fans of a long, slow process ahead.

After a flurry of trades at the February trade deadline, Karnisovas muttered something about wanting to get out of the “middle,” then did nothing to change the Bulls' trajectory. A better scriptwriter might have suggested — “I forgot NBA teams need tall players, my bad.”

What he should have said, right or wrong, was, “We are on the right track.” Making the play-in tournament with a young nucleus of Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis in 2025 was different from the play-in with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan (in 2023 and '24). Technically, that's progress.

Giddey and Buzelis give the Bulls two players with nice positional size and athleticism. Maybe Giddey isn't Cade Cunningham or Tyrese Haliburton, but he wasn't far from averaging a triple-double this season (17.0 points, 9.1 assists, 8.3 rebounds).

Last year, Boston's Jayson Tatum was suggested here as the ideal role model for Buzelis. Year 2 comparison: Buzelis 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks. Tatum (in 2018-19) 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.7 blocks. Buzelis had the better overall field-goal percentage.

That's a decent start to the roster, which essentially prevents the Bulls from doing an all-out tank. Ayo Dosunmu might have been the ideal shooting guard fit between Giddey and Buzelis, but it's too late to undo the trade to Minnesota.

The Bulls have some decent depth pieces. Guard Tre Jones has been a pleasant surprise. Jalen Smith maybe isn't the answer at center but could be in the mix. Of the February acquisitions, 6-foot-10 Leonard Miller, another oversized small forward, looks like a keeper.

As the NBA regular season comes to an end Sunday, how do the Bulls become a playoff contender? First, they need to hire a new head of basketball operations, decide whether Billy Donovan will continue as head coach, and go from there. Let's head up the stairs:

The roster

Players under contract: Giddey, Buzelis, Jones, Smith, Patrick Williams, Isaac Okoro, Rob Dillingham, Noa Essengue. Miller, a former second-round draft pick, has a team option, which the Bulls will almost certainly pick up.

Free agents: Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Zach Collins, Guerschon Yabusele, Nick Richards.

No one is a must-keep among the free agents. Maybe Sexton, because scoring off the bench is nice to have. Collins would be a decent depth piece if he could stay healthy.

The Bulls would release Williams and Okoro if they could. Dillingham is in the 98th percentile for speed, but his shot, playmaking and decisions all need a ton of work.

Don't write off Essengue yet. Last year's No. 1 pick missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, but at least he did play well in four G-League appearances, averaging 23.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. A project for sure, but with intriguing athleticism.

The draft

A loss in Dallas on Sunday clinches the No. 9 lottery seed. The Bulls would love to move up in the lottery and take a potential big-man star like Duke's Cam Boozer or North Carolina's Caleb Wilson.

At No. 9, Michigan's 7-3 Aday Mara has become a popular mock draft pick. He certainly fits a need for the Bulls.

What every Bulls fan needs to do this week is cheer for Portland in the play-in tournament. If the Blazers make the real playoffs, their top 14-protected first-rounder goes to the Bulls from the Lauri Markkanen trade.

The Bulls could land a second big maybe. Don't sleep on Washington's Hannes Steinbach. A taller two-guard like Iowa's Bennett Stirtz or UConn's Braylon Mullins is another option, so landing a second first-rounder would be huge.

Every rebuilding team needs two things: Multiple draft picks and lottery luck. The Bulls have a chance for both.

Free agency

The Bulls could clear roughly $60 million-$65 million in cap space this summer. What should they do with it?

This is a bad summer for unrestricted free agents. Kristaps Porzingis? Rui Hachimura? It's tough to find guys even worth considering for the Bulls.

A couple of young big men are restricted free agents, Detroit's Jalen Duren and Utah's Walker Kessler, but it seems very unlikely those teams wouldn't match an offer sheet. The Bulls could have drafted Kessler instead of Dalen Terry.

Some restricted free agents who might be attainable, because their current teams are bumping up toward the tax apron, are Houston's Tari Eason and the Clippers' Bennedict Mathurin. Neither is a perfect fit. Eason is more of a small forward at 6-8 but could start next to Buzelis. Mathurin can score but does not shoot it well from 3.

The Bulls need talented players, though, so the new boss should feel free to pursue both those guys.

Front office

Michael Reinsdorf said this week he wants to keep coach Billy Donovan, will never lose on purpose and plans to use a search firm to identify candidates.

First of all, most of the best candidates will back out due to those stipulations. Judged by wins but less power than the head coach is a tough sell.

Like we've been saying, it just takes one smart person to lead the way. If Donovan is staying — and all signs suggest he will — have him recommend an intelligent candidate willing to work under these parameters.

It's natural to have doubts about this process, given the history of this franchise. But maybe the Bulls finally will show a night of family-friendly entertainment can be accompanied by an NBA playoff game.