(670 The Score) After his Bulls stood pat at the trade deadline for the third straight season, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas on Thursday referenced time and again his desire for the team to remain competitive as he justified yet another transaction window of inaction.
Karnisovas spoke to reporters in a Zoom call less than an hour after the trade deadline passed at 2 p.m. Thursday, a day in which his Bulls sat at 24-27 and ninth in the East. More than a dozen times, he referenced the need for the Bulls to remain competitive, and he personally took responsibility for choosing the team’s path by confirming that ownership has given him the freedom to make whatever moves he feels are necessary – or in this case, not make.
“We want to be competitive,” Karnisovas said. “And I thought that it’s a telling thing, how I feel about this team and about the players on this team. What we’ve been watching all season long is a very competitive and great group. We wanted this group to be cohesive and start playing for each other. We’ve seen signs in the last 30, 31 games.
“This team is very competitive in every game, and we have aspirations to compete for the playoffs in such a conference with parity, and each team is trying to get an edge. So I’m looking forward to watching these players compete with 30 games to go.”
After an abysmal 5-14 start, the Bulls are 19-13 in their past 32 games, which is the stretch that Karnisovas cited.
To varying degrees, 34-year-old star forward DeMar DeRozan, guard Alex Caruso and reserve center Andre Drummond were all trade candidates Thursday, but they’ll continue suiting up for the Bulls. DeRozan is in the final season of his contract, and the Bulls want to re-sign him this offseason, which in part explained why there was little movement on him Thursday.
Under contract through the 2024-’25 season, Caruso is the heart and soul of whatever identity the Bulls have established, and Karnisovas values him incredibly. The Bulls’ asking price for him reflected that, such as when they asked the Warriors for promising young forward Jonathan Kuminga but were rebuffed, NBC Sports Chicago reported.
Drummond is set to hit free agency this summer. He received interest from other teams, but nothing came to fruition as other franchises such as the Celtics and Mavericks addressed their backup center roles by making other moves while the Bulls held out for a better offer and valued the need to compete.
Karnisovas characterized the Bulls as “very busy” in taking calls over the past few days, and he viewed it as a “buyer’s market.” The Bulls were looking for current help rather than assets that would help them in the long-term, but they didn't find a player and deal to their liking.
“We didn’t see anything that was going to make us better,” Karnisovas said. “We would take a step back (in the proposed deals), which we don’t want. We want to stay competitive. We have an obligation to this organization and this fan base and this city to stay competitive and compete for the playoffs. That’s what we’re doing.”
Karnisovas was pressed multiple times about his definition of “competitive,” and each time he replied with some version of it revolving around reaching the playoffs and being competitive once there. Perhaps the driving force in that belief could just be directly traced to another answer of his, as Karnisovas also believes he’s accomplishing what his bosses – chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and CEO Michael Reinsdorf – expect of him.
“I think so,” Karnisovas said. “Since I came here to Chicago, I wanted to have a competitive team, which I think we came up with a formula in 2021. We had somewhat of a success. We took, obviously, a step back with some injuries. But my objective doesn’t change. I would like to compete. I’d like to compete with the best teams. This particular team showed they can compete with the best, and that’s what I am excited about.”
Karnisovas also fielded a question on why the Bulls are so reluctant to take a step backward, even if it’s a small one that could make them better at the beginning of next season.
“Again, it’s a subjective way of looking at things,” he said. “It just depends what was on the table, right? At this juncture, I’m always going to look at how to improve the team for now that makes us more competitive and for the future. And we didn’t have those options available.”
He also added, “A shakeup doesn’t guarantee you success, right?”
One last time, for good measure, Karnisovas also repeated what he’s selling to Bulls fans.
“I’m selling a competitive group that is competing right now for the playoffs,” he said.
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund .
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