For the Chicago Bulls, there’s no time like the present to begin making changes.
Barely a week has passed since the Bulls hired Bryson Graham as their new executive vice president of basketball operations. But time moves quickly in an NBA front office — especially for the Bulls, who are diving into a critical period of the offseason after winning big in the draft lottery Sunday.
Graham made the first tweak to the Bulls front office Tuesday, according to multiple sources, by releasing Windy City Bulls general manager Josh Malone, with more changes and additions potentially on the horizon as he evaluates his existing staff.
Chicago Bulls build out their front office under Bryson Graham with two VP additions
When President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf fired former executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas in the final weeks of the season, he also removed GM Marc Eversley from the front office. The subsequent exit of coach Billy Donovan gave the appearance of a clean slate for the new regime.
But in reality the Bulls kept the majority of the front office intact for the immediate future. Senior adviser John Paxson helped to lead the search committee that ultimately selected Graham, an effort that was aided by assistant GMs JJ Polk and Pat Connelly. When Graham took the job, he inherited most of the former staff with the authority to make hires and changes where he sees fit.
Graham is expected to continue tweaking the front office in the coming weeks, a process that could include hiring additional scouts and other support staff. The Bulls have not signaled whether they plan to continue with the structure of a general manager (previously Eversley) directly under the executive VP with a support staff of assistant GMs.
While assembling his ideal staff, Graham also must appoint a new head coach. He will begin the initial stages of the coaching search this week, which includes requesting permission from teams to interview potential candidates. Graham previously suggested he was open to hiring an up-and-coming coach rather than seeking a veteran with championship experience, meaning the Bulls could look at current assistants on prominent coaching staffs.
Amid the chaos of organizational restructuring, the Bulls also began their interviews with players Tuesday at the NBA draft combine at Wintrust Arena. They are scheduled to meet with roughly 20 potential candidates for the Nos. 4 and 15 picks, per a source.
After the combine, the Bulls will host players for workouts in Chicago ahead of the draft, which will take place June 23-24 in New York.
