The Chicago Bulls mercifully ended the Arturas Karnisovas experiment after six years. It probably should’ve happened sooner, but at least it’s over. What stands ahead for the organization is finding someone who can drag it out of the mud and back into the Eastern Conference picture. That is no small feat. Rumors are already circulating about potential candidates. Austin Brown, the prominent sports agent and Chicago native, has been mentioned as having interest. There are, of course, four-time champion Bob Myers and former champion Masai Ujiri, who are both free agents. That would seem like a logical place to start.
However, if there is one thing we know about the Reinsdorfs, it’s that they tend to prefer to keep things in-house. It started with Jerry Krause in 1985, then became John Paxson in 2003, and Gar Forman in 2009. All of those men were promoted from within the Bulls organization. Karnisovas was the first time they’d gone outside the bubble. It sounds like they may wish to go with somebody a little more familiar. Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype revealed a name that’s getting some buzz lately.
Meanwhile, some names have begun to emerge as potential candidates for Chicago’s lead executive position.
Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd, who began his career working for the Bulls, is a rising executive who’s been on the radar of several teams over the years. One factor to consider is whether the Bulls would want to hire another one of Tim Connelly’s right-hand executives after hiring Karnisoves, who worked for Connelly in Denver. Ironically, Tim’s brother, Pat, also remains on staff as Chicago’s assistant general manager.
The Chicago Bulls already know plenty about Matt Lloyd.
He got his start with the team as a media coordinator in 1999 before moving to the scouting ranks in 2003. From there, he steadily climbed the ladder, serving as their Director of College Scouting from 2007 to 2012. He was right in the middle of the last great Bulls run of success. He eventually left to become the Orlando Magic assistant general manager. Three years later, he’s landed in Minnesota as their GM. During that time, he is credited with helping his teams land some pretty good players.
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| Team | Player | Draft Year | Pick No. | Notable Role/Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bulls | Joakim Noah | 2007 | 9 | Key defensive anchor scouted during Lloyd’s rise. |
| Derrick Rose | 2008 | 1 | Consensus top pick; Lloyd led the scouting data prep. | |
| Taj Gibson | 2009 | 26 | Lloyd was a primary advocate for this late-first value pick. | |
| Jimmy Butler | 2011 | 30 | Widely credited as a “Lloyd pick” due to his scouting. | |
| Orlando Magic | Victor Oladipo | 2013 | 2 | First major pick of Lloyd’s tenure as Assistant GM. |
| Aaron Gordon | 2014 | 4 | Core piece of the Magic’s mid-2010s rebuild. | |
| Elfrid Payton | 2014 | 10 | Acquired via draft-night trade. | |
| Mario Hezonja | 2015 | 5 | Highly-touted international prospect. | |
| Domantas Sabonis | 2016 | 11 | Traded on draft night for Serge Ibaka. | |
| Jonathan Isaac | 2017 | 6 | Selected while Lloyd served as Interim GM. | |
| Mohamed Bamba | 2018 | 6 | High-upside rim protector selection. | |
| Chuma Okeke | 2019 | 16 | Picked despite an ACL injury in college. | |
| Cole Anthony | 2020 | 15 | Targeted for backcourt scoring depth. | |
| Jalen Suggs | 2021 | 5 | Part of the foundational “double-dip” in the 2021 lottery. | |
| Franz Wagner | 2021 | 8 | A standout pick from Lloyd’s final Orlando draft. | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | Rob Dillingham | 2024 | 8 | Lloyd used league connections to trade into the top 10. |
| Joan Beringer | 2025 | 17 | Lloyd highlighted his potential as an elite defender. |
Lloyd seems to have a reputation for helping identify good players wherever he’s been. Many who worked with him in the Bulls organization had immense respect for his work, even crediting him as the primary voice when they drafted Jimmy Butler.
Lloyd knows Chicago.
That can’t be overstated. His experience working within the organization means he’d have a pretty good idea of what life would be like. The Reinsdorfs, for all the criticism they get, are at least known for being hands-off. They would allow him to do whatever he feels is necessary to rebuild the team into a winner. The big uncertainty is whether Lloyd, presuming he wants the job, would be willing to work with Billy Donovan. Ownership has made it clear that this would be non-negotiable. They want to keep the head coach. Any executive resistant to the idea would be removed from consideration.
We have no idea what Lloyd’s stance on that would be. No doubt the Chicago Bulls aim to find out once they get a chance to meet with him. One thing is clear. The man is certainly qualified for the job. He has a proven track record as a scout and has paid his dues working up the NBA ranks for almost 20 years. This would not be a complete shot in the dark for the Bulls. Is he the sexiest candidate available? No, but he is certainly qualified. That will be a fun one to watch.
