The Chicago Bulls have made the next step in building their new front office, reportedly agreeing to name Marc Eversley as the team’s new general manager, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reportedg.
Eversley becomes the most high-profile addition made by new vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas since he began reshaping the organization earlier this month.
Eversley, who is Canadian, would become the first black general manager in team history.
To join the Bulls, Eversley leaves the Philadelphia 76ers organization where he has been since 2016, when then-president Bryan Colangelo hired him as their vice president of player personnel. His focus in Philadelphia was mainly with their pre-draft preparation process. He has been credited with engineering a trade with the Celtics to move up in last year’s draft to select rookie guard Matisse Thybulle, who is already one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Eversley’s tenure also coincided with a huge miss for the organization — drafting Markelle Fultz with the top overall pick in 2017.
Eversley’s background in scouting should help the Bulls build through the draft. Before getting his start as an NBA executive, Eversley spent 10 years working in Nike’s corporate office, which gave him experience building relationships with players around the league.
Colangelo saw enough from him at Nike that he hired him for the Raptors front office, where Eversley rose from director of basketball operations to an assistant general manager in his seven seasons in Toronto. Eversely was also reportedly instrumental in recognizing the talent in DeMar DeRozan, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, prompting the Raptors to select the eventual four-time All-Star ninth overall during the 2009 draft.
From 2013 to 2016, he spent three years with the Wizards as vice president of scouting before Colangelo hired him again to join his staff in Philadelphia.
Eversely will become the team’s second in command behind Karnisovas, who has already made three additions to expand and shape the Bulls into a more modern front office.
During his introductory conference call, Karnisovas confirmed two additional hires, bringing in JJ Polk, a cap specialist with the Pelicans, as an assistant general manager and Pat Connelly, who worked in player personnel with the Nuggets. T
“From the past structures what I learned is that I’ve got to hire the person that is going to compliment,” Karnisovas said about his search for a general manager. “That’s not going to have the same skillset that I do … . I’m going to look for a person that is going to add something to the current structure.”
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