The Chicago Bulls and former Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas are about to seal the deal for the latter to become the organization's executive vice president.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Karnisovas agreed to bolt Denver for Chicago. The Lithuanian executive resume includes aiding Tim Connely and Josh Kroenke turn the Nuggets from bottomfeeders into legitimate contenders.
Bulls offered the job to Karnisovas earlier this evening, and negotiated the details through the night, sources said. Karnisovas will leave Denver for Chicago after helping Tim Connelly and Josh Kroenke to rebuild the Nuggets into a Western Conference contender. https://t.co/HMtQ2OivGQ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 9, 2020
Now as the Bulls' executive VP, Karnisovas has the big task of rebuilding the dilapidated squad. Prior to the suspension of the 2019-20 season, the Bulls sported a horrific 22-43 record. The last time they made the playoffs was in 2017. But over the last two seasons, they haven't even reached the 30-win plateau.
This move comes at the heels of some Bulls' players implying that they would rather depart than spend any more seasons floundering, a scenario that the team is trying to avoid at all costs.
Karnisovas joined the Nuggets as their assistant general manager back in 2013. This was the time when the Nuggets, after 10 straight playoff appearances, were on the verge of rebuilding their roster.
Though they missed the playoffs in Karnisovas' first five years as part of the front office, behind the scenes, they were sneakily building a formidable roster. With Karnisovas' in the fold, the Nuggets built their team through draft picks. Among those they picked are Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray — both of whom have turned into superstars for the Nuggets.
They were even the ones who selected Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell before trading the two away on draft night.
Come 2017, the Nuggets promoted Karnisovas to general manager. And in the 2018-19 season, the Nuggets chalked up a 54-28 record for second in the West. For the first time in five years, the Nuggets were not just back in the playoff race, but are not considered legitimate title contenders.
Follow Us
Subscribe