The Chicago Bulls finally made it official Monday, announcing the hiring of Arturas Karnisovas as the team’s new executive vice president of basketball operations.
“Arturas is one of the most respected basketball executives in the NBA. His resume speaks for itself,” Bulls President and COO Michael Reinsdorf said in a statement. “As the new head of basketball operations, I am confident that his vision, ability to lead and experience helping build winning teams in Houston and Denver will serve him well here.”
Karnisovas will replace John Paxson in the role. Paxson has been with the team’s front office since 2003, serving as general manager for six seasons before moving into the basketball operations role.
It is unclear whether Paxson will stay with the team in another role.
Karnisovas previously served as a general manager of the Denver Nuggets, having taken that role in 2017. He also worked for the Houston Rockets as director of scouting and with the NBA’s basketball operations department.
The deal to land Karnisovas with the Bulls was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski last week. The new executive will next be tasked with hiring a new general manager for the team, as it appears Gar Forman will be removed from the position.
