Bulls player Arturas Karnisovas breaks silence on Josh Giddey trade

Chicago Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas is not ready to declare the direction of the organization this season after the first round of the 2024 draft.

He praised rookie first-round pick Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in the 2024 draft. Reporters also peppered Karnisovas with questions about the Josh Giddey acquisition.

The deal sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He notably remained silent immediately afterwards.

“Obviously, I’m very happy with this trade, very happy that we were able to make this deal and bring Josh to Chicago,” Karnisovas told reporters after the first round of the 2024 draft on June 26. “He brings in a very talented guard who is an elite playmaker and elite-sized rebounder. His game is about making everyone around him better. These guys are hard to find and they are not available. We are so lucky to have him.

“It has a high price, it’s Alex. I would like to thank Alex for these three wonderful years. He’s been great for both the Chicago and Bulls organizations, and we wish him all the best in OKC.

Karnisovas was forced to add Giddey — who was struggling with his shooting and defense and was entering the final year of his contract — while dropping Caruso and without adding more draft capital.

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Arturas Karnisovas expects Josh Giddey to improve his shooting with the Bulls

“I think it’s a trade we prefer over picks because it’s very difficult to have players that young, that have such high production early in their career, especially when he had 11 triple-doubles over the course of his career.” “We were excited and thought it was worth paying for Josh.”

The Bulls CEO maintained his team’s assessment of Giddey and what he can still become.

“He’s still 21 (years old),” Karnisovas said. “His production has been really good over the last three years. He has room to grow and I think coming to Chicago he will be able to showcase his playing abilities more and he will help the other guys improve. This is probably one of the areas he will improve in. In fact, most players who come into our league become better shooters.

“Once he becomes a better shooter, he will become a threat and then he will be able to play a lot better.”

Helping players develop as pitchers is the organization’s priority. They hired Peter Patton as director of player development last season. Several current Bulls players have credited him with helping them improve their performance.

Giddey is a career 31% shooter and shot a career-high 33.7% from last season.

He chose defense as his focus during his introductory press conference on June 25. Giddey also admitted he didn’t feel like he was maximizing his role off the ball.

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Arturas Karnisovas gave up on his desire to retain DeMar DeRozan

Reporters also asked Karnisovas about his plans to keep DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls and DeRozan have expressed interest in continuing together as his three-year contract worth $81.9 million expires this season.

However, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on the “#thisleague UNCUT” podcast on June 25 that there are currently no negotiations between the two sides.

According to Haynes, the Bulls have made pursuing a trade for Zach LaVine a priority.

Karnnsovas has already been open about his desire to keep DeRozan. But he was more measured during the draft following the selection of Buzelis and the previous exchange with Giddey. Speculation is growing about DeRozan’s availability this season.

“We will look at everything,” Karnisovas said. “Everything is on the table and it remains an option.”