Chicago Bulls fans should stop pretending the 2020 draft was a mystery. It was a clear mistake that former executive Arturas Karnisovas made, and the pain is real now. The team held the No. 4 overall pick that year but chose Patrick Williams instead. They completely ignored Tyrese Haliburton, a move that looks terrible today.
The Missed Opportunity
Haliburton is now a two-time All-Star who led the Indiana Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals. That is their first trip to the big stage since the year 2000. Meanwhile, Patrick Williams has struggled to justify being a top-four pick. He played 72 games last season but averaged just 7.0 points per game. His shooting splits were 37.2 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from deep. These numbers show a player who is not ready for a star role.
Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the former executive did not view Haliburton as a top talent back then. That assessment was wrong. If that draft happened again today, Haliburton would be a top-five pick without question. The current roster of stars from that class includes Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, and Haliburton. The Bulls missed out on a franchise-changing guard because of a bad call.
A New Era of Accountability
The organization fired Karnisovas last season, which was the right call. Fans are not losing sleep over that move because the results speak for themselves. The new regime is already making tough choices. They are not showing blind loyalty to players drafted by the old regime. Noa Essengue, who was picked 12th overall last year, recently got a harsh warning about his future.
Joe Cowley wrote that sources within the team told Essengue about his lack of physicality and warned him regarding his emotions on the court. The new leadership made it clear they will not keep players who do not fit their plan. More important, the new regime didn’t draft him, so while it’s in the business of development, it’s not going to follow a path of blind loyalty.
Horace Grant knows the pressure of rebuilding. He told Kyle Odegard of Action Network that getting back to glory takes time. “To go back iconic like we did back in the day, it’s going to take some work,” Grant said. He added that the city must stay patient with this young crew. But patience has limits, and the Haliburton miss proves the front office must get the big decisions right. The Bulls have a chance to fix their path, but they cannot afford another mistake like that one.
