Chicago Bulls GM lands brutal GPA in insider’s assessment

If the NBA were a college course, the Chicago Bulls and GM Marc Eversley (as well as Arturas Karnisovas) would be in danger of failing. Though the grade is restricted to 2025, it is arguable that this front office has been on the brink of utter failure for the last few seasons at least. Regardless, the insider who graded the work is not terribly pleased.

Chicago Bulls’ offseason gets brutal grade

A 2.2 GPA would not be ideal in a college setting, and it is far from ideal for the NBA. The Chicago Bulls, though, have done precious little to avoid such a grade from Bleacher Report analyst Andy Bailey. They’ve just not made many good moves.

They received a D grade for the new additions, which means just Isaac Okoro. “Despite hovering around the middle of the East for much of recent NBA history, the Chicago Bulls didn’t really do anything to drastically change their fortunes this summer. Their most notable veteran addition was Isaac Okoro, who came by way of a trade for the oft-injured Lonzo Ball,” Bailey wrote.

In the world of continuity, they did improve slightly and got a C+. “The 2024-25 Bulls remain largely intact, but to what end?” Bailey asked. “The team went 39-43 in each of the last two seasons. And unless Matas Buzelis or the recently re-signed Josh Giddey have massive breakouts (not out of the question, but maybe not likely either), they’re looking at another year of mediocrity.”

This team is virtually the same as it was last year, only without Lonzo Ball and with Isaac Okoro and maybe Noa Essengue. That’s not exactly a recipe to build and move forward after a 39-win season and a play-in exit.

In the draft, though, the Bulls finally seemed to get it right, earning a B+ grade. “Noa Essengue brings an intriguing combination of length and athleticism to a team that already has that from Buzelis and Giddey (at least relative to his position). In a lot of ways, it feels like the Bulls are dragging their organizational feet, but there could be something coming together in the background,” Bailey wrote.

Essengue is at least a promising prospect, and picking those is the sort of thing good GMs do. The Bulls have been stuck for a while and haven’t had high draft picks to work with, but picking Buzelis and then Essengue might be the start of a semi-inspiring turnaround in Chicago.