Could It Be Kyle Korver Time in the Bulls' Front Office After His Hawks Departure?

Ears perked up around the Chicagoland area this week after some news dropped out of Altanta.

Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that Hawks assistant GM Kyle Korver was departing the franchise. The former sharpshooter turned executive had been with the Hawks for four years. He is said to have left the franchise on good terms, which is currently led by top executive Onsi Saleh.

Stein did not share whether Korver has another opportunity lined up. Instead, he simply noted that former All-Star is excited for the next stage of his post-playing career. In other words, it certainly sounds as if Korver plans to remain a part of the basketball universe, but in what capacity?

Well, to little surprise, Bulls fans were quick to make a connection. Not only is Korver well known for his stop in Chicago, but he also has close ties to the man they just hired as their new front office leader.

Will the Bulls Give Kyle Korver a Call?

Nov 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks assistant general manager Kyle Korver on the court before a game against the New York Knicks at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It's almost too easy for fans not to speculate about a Kyle Korver-Chicago Bulls match.

Even though he played only two full seasons with the franchise, he became a quick fan-favorite. Korver was a genuinely important part of the early Derrick Rose squads in 2010-11 and 2011-12. The Bulls won 50+ games in each season, which included 62 in 2010-11 and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Korver has seemingly always held the organization in high regard and maintained a connection to the city as a whole. However, this alone is far from a reason to believe Korver is ditching Atlanta for Chicago.

Instead, if you want something more juicy to sink your teeth into, it should be his ties to Bryson Graham. The two are fresh off working with one another in Atlanta during this past season. In fact, Graham sat one seat higher than Korver in the GM chair after coming over from New Orleans.

It's certainly not uncommon for someone to leave an organization and bring over some former colleagues. And who's to say Korver isn't one Graham respects? If one thing is for sure, he could also be a relatively gettable executive. Chicago does technically have an open GM role at the moment, meaning they could present him with a clear promotion.

To dump even more fuel on the fire, Korver was a surprise candidate named as a possible Bulls target in their front office search earlier this offseason. To be sure, there is no telling how serious the interest was, as there was never a guarantee that he actually received an interview. Still, it feels worth mentioning at a time like this.

With all that said, as heavy as the smoke might seem, it's not worth upgrading this to a full-fledged rumor. Maybe a report will surface that gives more clarity, but the Bulls are likely settling down on their front office restructuring as training camp looms.

Yes, they recently brought in Jordan Brink from the New York Knicks as their next Director of Player Development, signaling that changes will continue. But a change as big as naming a new General Manager just two months before the regular season? If anything, this would have likely been one of Graham's first additions if he had planned to go with a more traditional hierarchy.

The Bulls have made it pretty clear that they may not follow their past models. Michael Reinsdorf said it early on in the process, while Bryson Graham has seemingly confirmed it with his early hires. For instance, he added two "Vice Presidents," one of basketball operations (Stephen Mervis) and one of Player Personnel (Acie Law IV).

For what it's worth, this has become a far more modern model for successful front offices. Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, for instance, have built a more balanced hierarchy, with one man at the top and multiple contributors in secondary and tertiary roles. Graham has stressed how much he values a collaborative system, so it's very possible we see him approach things from a similar angle.

None of this is to say adding Korver wouldn't be a good – or fun – idea. He was pretty respected in Atlanta, where he did help them collect a long list of intriguing young players. But as obvious as the fit might be on paper, the Bulls are still in the pretty early stages of building out this front office. It would be a tad surprising for them to add someone like Korver at this point in the summer, so this may be nothing more than a storyline to keep on the back burner.

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