The Bulls, having appointed a new executive vice president of basketball operations, are reportedly now focusing on hiring a general manager to work alongside him.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reported early Monday morning that Chicago has come to terms with Philadephia 76ers Vice President of Player Personnel Marc Eversley, who will join Arturas Karnisovas in a reshaped front office aiming to turn around the Bulls.
Once the appointment is confirmed, Eversley will make history as the first black general manager of the Bulls. In the past, Chicago has had former Bulls players B.J. Armstrong and Randy Brown serving as assistant general managers.
ESPN story on 76ers executive Marc Eversley agreeing to a deal to become the general manager of the Chicago Bulls. https://t.co/WFcREkVd1W
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2020
Source: Bulls reach agreement to make Marc Eversley general manager | NBC Sports Chicago https://t.co/IgQa1ShSDe
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 27, 2020
In 2016, Eversley became a part of the 76ers front office, contributing to Philadelphia’s transformation into a playoff contender. He was instrumental in the acquisition of players like J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler, and Tobias Harris. These additions played a significant role in leading the 76ers to the 7th game of the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals against the ultimate champions, Toronto.
Since taking over as Chicago’s executive vice president of basketball operations in mid-April, Karnisovas has been busy. He reached agreements with former Pelicans front office official J.J. Polk to become the Bulls’ assistant general manager and for Pat Connelly to join the team as vice president of player personnel, Wojnarowski and Johnson both report.
Eversley spent time working with the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors, and also served at Nike for a decade before undertaking front-office roles with the Sixers.
The Bulls entered the season with the expectation of vying for a playoff spot. However, they found themselves 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 22-43 record, heading towards their third consecutive losing record when the NBA halted play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With his general manager now in place, Karnisovas has another critical decision to confront.
The question is whether to retain coach Jim Boylen. Given his 39-84 record since taking over from Fred Hoiberg early the previous year, his position could be unstable.
Despite Zach LaVine averaging a career-high 25.5 points, Lauri Markkanen, the 7-footer from Finland, saw a decrease in his scoring and rebounding during his third season, averaging 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds. This was a significant drop from his previous averages of 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds. Meanwhile, rookie Coby White, who was picked at No. 7 in the draft, had been performing strongly before game play halted, averaging 13.2 points.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report
