Bulls' Arturas Karnisovas is moving on trades, but will it continue?

MIAMI – This will be an interesting week for the Bulls and specifically executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas.

He has a locker room that has a growing distrust in the direction the roster is going, he still has seven potential free agents come July even after the Jevon Carter move, and he has a product that remains stuck in the same swamp of mediocrity that it’s resided in the previous three seasons.

What Karnisovas does have on his side is a Feb. 5 trade deadline to try and right his own wrongs.

Another small step was taken in that direction in adding Dario Saric and two second-round draft picks in a three-team trade that sent Emanuel Miller to Cleveland and Carter to the waiver wire late
Saturday, but even that was a bit of a head-scratcher.

Karnisovas has made it public on several occasions that he doesn’t value second-round picks, which is strange considering he made his name in Denver on a second-round pick named Nikola Jokic and landed Ayo Dosunmu in the second round.

And while second-round picks are like bitcoin in they hold value in the eyes of the beholder, he had turned down recent deals for second-round picks before this season.

Now, he’s suddenly chasing them?

There is a method to his madness, however, as the feeling around the Bulls was he’s not done dealing and those second-round picks might come in handy. The Sun-Times reported back in December that Karnisovas was one of the more active executives out there when it came to talks – a far cry from his first four years in that seat. A source confirmed on Sunday that he hasn’t slowed down, either.

All good news but only carries meaning if he can get something done.

The Sun-Times reported that he has taken swings with New Orleans for the likes of a rim protector like Yves Missi, has made calls on Indiana’s Bennedict Mathurin, and was even linked to talks on Zion Williamson. Meanwhile, while he’s making calls he’s also been taking calls, trying to determine the best course of action for the future of his backcourt.

Coby White and Dosunmu are both free agents, while Tre Jones was extended in July. Karnisovas has been the most aggressive in trying to move White, but both Jones and Dosunmu were currently drawing the most interest because of the financials.

White has made it very clear that he wants to go shopping in free agency, looking for a significant pay raise, while Dosunmu would come at a cheaper price coming off the $7.5 million he’s making this season and Jones is already locked up for a team-friendly three-year, $24 million deal.

The Sun-Times has reported that White was discussed with Minnesota and Houston, and while a deal couldn’t be reached, the door wasn’t completely shut.

Coach Billy Donovan doesn’t write the checks or handle the negotiations but has said the last few weeks that it was important for the organization to identify what they want in a Bulls player and who checks those boxes. So when he was asked about Dosunmu and his future specifically, he made it clear what his decision would be with the former Illinois standout.

“I love Ayo and would love to see him here long-term,” Donovan said. “I feel very strongly about that. He’s very competitive, he’s a good team guy.

“But a team comes in and wants to talk, what does that look like? What may be offered, not offered? That’s the thing that’s hard for me. I can speak solely on the player. It’s hard for me to talk about the finances of what a guy’s value is. I know his value in terms of me as a coach, I value what he brings to the table.”

What does Karnisovas value? This week will tell a lot.