The 2025 NBA Draft is mere days away. Barring an unforeseen trade, the Chicago Bulls will select a prospect with the 12th overall pick. Despite the sheer excitement of adding a new player to the fold, Bulls fans will be in for a dissapointing revelation following the first night of the NBA Draft.
Not because of an ill-advised draft choice, but because General Manager Marc Eversley will address the media on night one of the draft to confirm Bulls fans' worst fears—that Drew Stevens of The Bigs accurately reported the inconceivable extensions of both himself and Vice President of Basketball Operations Artūras Karnišovas.
On June 17, Stevens wrote, "On the heels of reports that the Bulls and Billy Donovan have begun contract negotiations, Artūras Karnišovas and Marc Eversley have already had their deals extended." Stevens' post came days after NBA Insider Marc Stein broke the news that Chicago was "in the process" of extending Donovan following the New York Knicks' interest in interviewing the longtime head coach.
The Bulls swiftly denied the Knicks' request, later praising the 60-year-old coach, stating the organization "values…Donovan highly for his professionalism, coaching acumen, ability to connect with players, [and] his ability to represent the franchise" via Chicago Sports Network's K.C. Johnson.
AKME has, and will continue, to disappoint as decision-makers
Not only will a coach with a 195-205 record be extended, but so will the decision-making duo that has perpetrated mediocrity. Karnišovas and Eversley, or AKME, have relished a conservative approach that's lagged behind the modern-day NBA. The duo has made only 10 trades since taking over the reins in 2020—the fewest in the association. For reference, the two teams vying for the Larry O'Brien trophy have been involved in a combined 67 trades over the same timeframe.
Of course, well-executed trades aren't the only means of improving a roster. The draft and free agency exist. Yet, the Bulls have only drafted six players since AKME took over, in part due to ill-conceived trades. Thus, Chicago's success rate must be unequivocally high, which is a tall order, considering the uncertainty of the NBA Draft.
It's not outlandish to say the Bulls have drafted well. Chicago has nabbed Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips in the second round, and swiped Matas Buzelis with the 11th overall selection a year ago. Still, three hits in five years aren't enough to form a viable contender.
Savvy draft choices must go hand-in-hand with shrewd free agent acquisitions to shape a perennial contender. However, the Bulls haven't made many splashy signings over the last few seasons. Alex Caruso, Andre Drummond, and Derrick Jones Jr. come to mind as shrewd acquisitions, yet none of the aforementioned players are still in the Windy City.
AKME has instead preferred to retain home-grown talent such as Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Patrick Williams at exorbitant amounts. While LaVine and Vucevic weren't drafted by the Bulls, they were acquired in exchange for quality assets, prompting AKME to coincide with the sunk cost fallacy. Retaining talent solely because the original investment was significant.
Five years is more than enough time for Jerry Reinsdorf to realize that AKME isn't cutting it as decision-makers for the sixth-most valuable NBA franchise. Still, despite continued inadequate results, Bulls fans will soon be made aware of the inevitable once Eversley addresses the media.
