What we learned from Michael Reinsdorf on what's next for the Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls fire top executives after losing season | ChicagoNOW

The Bulls part ways with Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley after six seasons and one playoff appearance. 

Michael Reinsdorf made it clear.

The Chicago Bulls want to be consistent. He wants the franchise to compete consistently in the playoffs and he wants the standard to be in the playoffs. That's somewhere the Bulls haven't been since the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

"You deserve a team that competes at a high level," Reinsdorf said, speaking to Bulls fans.

To get there, the Bulls needed to make changes. That starts with a new front office, as Arturas Karnisovas and Michael Eversely were fired Monday.

Here's what we learned from Michael Reinsdorf's press conference on Tuesday, where he explained what's next for the Chicago Bulls after the team cleaned house in its front office.

Why Reinsdorf made the move now

The Bulls have been treading water for years now. The core that Karnosovas and Eversely put together didn't pan out, the best the Bulls had done were NBA Play-In Tournament berths.

Through the last few seasons, the Bulls stuck with their front office. Reinsdorf gave them chances to succeed, and he noted Karnisovas did well at the NBA trade deadline to trade expiring contracts for assets.

With all the assets in hand, Reinsdorf looked upon what the Bulls have for the immediate future.

• About $65 million in usable cap space
• A draft pick that has the potential to be a top-five selection
• The potential for a second first-round pick, depending on the Trail Blazers
• The players acquired who could be a part of the future of the team.

Knowing this, Reinsdorf said it was time for a clean slate. He wants to give the next basketball decision maker in Chicago the assets they will have heading into the 2026 offseason to use as they see fit.

The new decision makers will be chosen with the help of a search firm, but Basketball Operations Senior Advisor John Paxson and basketball operations assistants Pat Connelly and JJ Polk will be used in this search for the new decision makers, whether that is a basketball operations lead with a general manager or just a single general manager,

"We failed," Reinsdorf said. "Now, we're in a position to get this right."

The immediate future for the Bulls starts with Billy Donovan

Reinsdorf made it clear: The Bulls' current status is not coach BIlly Donovan's issue.

"I think he achieved really good results," Reinsdorf said. "Not the results we wanted, but that's not because of Billy."

Because of this respect, Reinsdorf's first order of business is figuring out if Donovan will remain the head coach of the Bulls. 

If Donovan does want to remain the head coach, then he will be the head coach. Reinsdorf made that clear.

"If I interview someone and they're not sold on Billy, they're not sold on a Hall of Fame coach, they're not sold on a person who's won championship in college, who's gone deep in the playoffs with Oklahoma City, who I believe, with the Chicago Bulls, every year, given the team that he was given," Reinsdorf said. "If someone's not interested in Billy as our coach and if Billy wants to be our coach, and someone's not interested in that, then they're probably not the right candidate for us."

But, Reinsdorf did say that if Billy wanted to move into a different role on the team, be it the front office or something different, the Bulls would be open to hearing that conversation.

Whatever happens with that decision will happen soon, he said.

The Bulls have a list of wants

Reisndorf had a list of wants in the next front office lead in Chicago. Some of those decisions were made because of the shortcomings Karnisovas' had.

"I want someone who's process oriented," he said. "Some of the biggest mistakes we've made are because we haven't followed a process."

He also wants a communicator. Someone that can devise a plan and communicate it to the fans, the media and the people who have been asking for it.

He wants someone that can track the trends, anticipate them and react to that properly.

He wants talent acquisition, from acquiring front office talent, in the scouting department and on the team. If the Bulls hire a head of basketball and a general manager, he wants that general manager to be someone that becomes a candidate to lead front offices elsewhere because of the success.

This all stems from a process that Reinsdorf can see. He wants someone that can come up with a pathway to success, follow it, communicate it and execute it with handpicked talents who have a specific job in order to succeed.