The Chicago Bulls have their first piece of the puzzle in place, nabbing a former Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans executive.
The Chicago Bulls' rebuild is now officially underway.
On Monday afternoon, the franchise announced the hiring of Bryson Graham as the Bulls' new executive vice president of basketball operations. Graham, 39, replaces Arturas Karnisovas as Chicago's lead decision-maker and is just the third person to hold the title since Jerry Krause's retirement in 2003.
Most recently, Graham was the senior vice president of basketball operations with the Atlanta Hawks. He served in the role for one year after spending 15 with the New Orleans Pelicans.
"Bryson is an elite talent evaluator who has earned tremendous respect across the league, and that stood out immediately during our process," Bulls president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf said, via press release. "He has worked his way up through basketball operations from the ground level, and that experience has given him a deep understanding of how to build and sustain a successful organization. He is an effective communicator, a disciplined and thoughtful decision-maker, and someone who truly connects with players and people. He understands today’s league, today’s players, and what it takes to develop talent and build a winning culture."
The San Antonio, Tex., native played college basketball at Texas A&M before joining the Pelicans in 2010. He rose from a front office intern in New Orleans to the player development director, and became the team's director of college scouting in 2018. Graham was promoted to the assistant general manager a year later and eventually earned the general manager role in 2024.
After a year as the Pelicans' GM, Graham left to lead the Hawks' basketball operations. He spearheaded a significant roster turnover, including the trading of All-Star point guard Trae Young, as Atlanta went 46-36 and secured the No. 6 seed in the playoffs.
Graham will now be tasked with orchestrating an even bigger turnaround. He'll need to find a general manager to work under him, as well as a head coach to replace Billy Donovan. Those decisions will ultimately shape Graham's tenure in Chicago.
"Just as important, Bryson is committed to building a high-level group around him," Reinsdorf continued. "He knows what he does well, and he is focused on surrounding that with strong leadership across strategy, scouting, and player development. This is an important step for our organization. We know there is work ahead, but we are confident in Bryson’s ability to lead, build, and move us forward."
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Bulls also considered finalists Dennis Lindsey (Detroit Pistons senior vice president) and Matt Lloyd (Minnesota Timberwolves general manager) before deciding on Graham on Monday.