Ranking 6 best Bulls GM candidates to replace Arturas Karnisovas, from Bob Myers to Matt Lloyd
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The Bulls general manager job doesn't come around very often. There have been just three teams of people at the helm since Jerry Reinsdorf bought the team back in 1985. There will be a fourth after lead executives Arturas Karnisovas and Mark Eversley were dismissed on Monday afternoon.
That job security makes it an appealing one throughout the league. The Bulls are a storied franchise in a big city. Their owners don't have deep pockets and run a tight ship as far as team infrastructure goes, but they have been willing to spend on the roster in the rare instances when they are in championship contention.
Perhaps more importantly, the Bulls are in a good spot to turn their fortunes around quickly. They have the most cap space in the league to work with this summer, they will have a decent lottery pick in a very strong draft, they have all of their own first-round picks going forward, and they have some promising young players on the roster led by Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
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There will be plenty of parties interested in the position. The Thunder's Sam Presti is the obvious best candidate and one that the Reinsdorfs talked to when the opening came up back in 2020. The Bulls probably aren't shelling out top dollar for him, but there is a good hire that they can make without completely breaking the bank.
The Reinsdorfs have followed a pattern of usually but not always hiring internally for these positions across the Bulls and White Sox. They have some strong names who they are already familiar with. There are others who they should add to their list. Here are the best candidates.
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Bulls 6 best general manager candidates
1. Mike Zarren
Zarren is the best executive that nobody outside of Boston has heard of. The lifelong Celtics fan is the brains behind many of the team's moves, working his way up from a position as an unpaid intern to the VP of Basketball Operations under Brad Stevens.
Zarren was involved in the early days of NBA analytics. He is the team's lead salary cap expert and a behind-the-scenes force in the shrewd trades that have led to their championship window, including the one that brought in Jayson Tatum.
Zarren would probably never leave the Celtics. He doesn't want the spotlight of a lead decision-maker, and he has a good thing going for him as the No. 2 in Boston. He's turned down offers to lead a team on his own in the past. But he did attend the University of Chicago as an undergraduate student before getting a law degree from Harvard. Perhaps a big enough paycheck could convince him to return to the city with his basketball PhD.
2. Steve Weinman
Weinman spent 13 years with the Bulls, moving up to Vice President of Basketball Strategy and Analytics and Assistant General Manager before being let go by Karnisovas last year. He was quickly scooped up by Wake Forest to serve as the general manager of both their men's and women's teams.
Weinman was well-liked within the Bulls organization and known as one of the sharpest minds in the building. He led the team's analytics department, helped to manage their salary cap, and played a role in scouting pro personnel as well as draft prospects.
Weinman was eventually forced out due to disagreements with the direction that Karnisovas was taking the team. It looks like he was on the right side of history. The Bulls would have been better off by listening to his advice, so why not start now? He has the experience, the familiarity with the roster, and the intelligence to succeed at the job.
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3. Matt Lloyd
Lloyd is another former Bulls employee with a hefty resume. He worked for the team under both Jerry Krause and John Paxson, learning scouting tricks of the trade from both. The Bulls had some of their best drafting years with Lloyd as part of their team, using his data-driven approach and sharp eye to find diamonds in the rough.
Lloyd went on to work for the Magic and is currently the senior vice president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves under Tim Connelly. He's worked his way up from the Bulls' video room, putting in over two decades in front offices. He has earned a shot to be the lead guy somewhere.
4. Zach Kleinman
Kleinman is one of the sharpest general managers in the league. The Grizzlies have always been a good drafting team under his regime, picking up talents like Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Zach Edey. He won the Executive of the Year award in 2022, becoming the youngest winner ever at age 33.
Kleinman has set the Grizzlies up for another rebuild by stockpiling draft picks after trading away Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. at their peak values. He's been very aggressive in the trade market, which is the antithesis of what the Bulls have experienced under previous decision-makers.
Kleinman was raised in Lincoln Park and grew up a Bulls fan. There's no indication that the Grizzlies have any intention of letting him leave, so it would take some effort to get him to Chicago.
5. Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Dunleavy played for 15 seasons in the NBA, including three with the Bulls. He was a heady player who had a knack for stealing calls from opposing coaches. His father is a basketball lifer who played, coached, and was a general manager in the NBA.
Dunleavy followed in those same footsteps, starting as a scout in the Warriors' system after retiring and quickly moving up the chain of command. He's been Golden State's general manager since 2023, leading the franchise through some tough decisions.
Dunleavy has kept the Warriors relevant by not overpaying for Klay Thompson. Instead, he facilitated a sign-and-trade for the declining star. He made another good trade to bring in Jimmy Butler, who had temporarily revitalized the franchise before suffering an ACL tear. And he's made some good smaller moves on the margins, such as finding Brandin Podziemski with the 19th pick in 2023 and recently signing Gui Santos to one of the best under-the-radar value deals in the league.
6. Bob Myers
Myers' name pops up any time a front office opening appears. He left the Warriors in 2023 on his own terms, letting the dynasty fade without him. While he was there, he put together an impressive roster around Steph Curry. He drafted Draymond Green in the second round and got rid of a bad coach in Mark Jackson to hire a great one in Steve Kerr. He also drafted Harrison Barnes, signed Andre Iguodala, and signed Kevin Durant.
Myers certainly played a role in the Warriors winning four rings. How much of a role is up for debate. He inherited Steph Curry, which made the job much easier. That masked plenty of missteps along the way. Taking James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick in 2020 was a massive blunder, and the Jonathan Kuminga pick at No. 7 in 2021 never worked out either. He missed on most of his other first round picks too. His two timeline plan was a complete failure. He was on the verge of trading Klay Thompson for Kevin Love back in 2014 before Jerry West threatened to resign.
Myers will always have the shine of those four rings, and he did make some legitimately terrific moves. But his actual record is more mixed.