Report: Bulls to Hire Nuggets GM Arturas Karnisovas as New Executive VP of Basketball Ops

Less than a week after reports surfaced that the Chicago Bulls were ready to move on from their current front office braintrust of executive vice president John Paxton and general manager Gar Forman, it appears as if the team has found its new decision maker.

The Bulls are finalizing an agreement to hire Denver Nuggets general manager Arturas Karnisovas as Chicago's new executive vice president of basketball operations, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Karnisovas will revamp the Bulls' front office and hire a new general manager.

Per Wojnarowski, former Suns assistant general manager and Nuggets scout Pat Connelly is in talks to join Karnisovas' front office staff.

Last week, the Bulls reportedly were denied by Indiana Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan in a request for an interview. That narrowed the team's options to a list that included Karnisovas, Toronto Raptors general manager Bobby Webster and Miami Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon.

Karnisovas, a former player who spent more than a decade playing overseas, has been the Nuggets' general manager for the past two seasons. He previously served as the team's assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations, and has spent a total of six years with the Nuggets.

Before arriving in Denver, Karnisovas spent five seasons with the Houston Rockets, most recently as the director of scouting. Before that, he worked in basketball operations at the NBA's league office for four years.

Paxson and Forman, who have each worked for the Bulls for over two decades, have been aware of the search, according to ESPN. Paxton is likely to continue on in an advisory role with the team, though Forman's future is more unclear.