League sources informed the Chicago Tribune\u2019s Bulls writer, Julia Poe, that Lloyd remains a \u201cstrong front-runner\u201d for the top executive job in the Bulls front office, in a small pool of executive talent that includes Atlanta Hawks vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham.<\/p>\n
If he ends up taking over for the departed Art\u016bras Karni\u0161ovas, Lloyd\u2019s pro basketball career would come full circle. He\u2019s a lifelong Bulls fan from Fenton High School who began on the West Side in 1994 with a part-time job in the team\u2019s video department, and, according to The Athletic, used to call his grandmother during Michael Jordan\u2019s player introductions to let her hear the crowd\u2019s roar.<\/p>\n
The current edition of the Bulls is a far cry from the Jordan days, but that\u2019s why the Bulls are looking for someone with Lloyd\u2019s credentials to help restore the glory missing for nearly three decades.<\/p>\n
Who knows where Lloyd\u2019s career would\u2019ve gone if not for John Paxson?<\/p>\n
The former Bulls star and top executive promoted Lloyd from media services coordinator to director of college scouting as soon as he replaced Jerry Krause as GM in 2003. It was a risk that turned out well. Lloyd was part of the decision-making process that led to the Bulls selecting Jimmy Butler with the 30th pick of the 2011 draft, perhaps the best \u201csleeper\u201d pick in franchise history.<\/p>\n
Paxson, currently the senior advisor of basketball operations after moving upstairs when Karni\u0161ovas came on board in 2020, is working alongside president Michael Reinsdorf in the search process. Interviewing someone whom he helped climb the NBA ladder figures to have been smooth sailing. Lloyd was also close to Krause, one of Jerry Reinsdorf\u2019s closest advisors even after retiring. Jerry is renowned for his loyalty to Bulls and White Sox employees, and Michael doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree<\/a>.<\/p>\n The analytically bent Lloyd left the Bulls to become assistant general manager of the Orlando Magic in 2012, working under then 30-year-old GM Rob Hennigan, who was the league\u2019s youngest GM. \u201cWe\u2019ve grown up in this computerized age of stats,\u201d Lloyd told the Tribune\u2019s K.C. Johnson upon leaving after 17 years. \u201cThe way we see and process things are similar.\u201d<\/p>\n Lloyd departed Orlando in 2022 to become the senior VP of basketball operations of the Timberwolves and was later promoted to GM. He interviewed last year to become executive VP of the Charlotte Hornets, but decided to stay in Minnesota, where the Wolves have built an annual contender around star Anthony Edwards and are searching for their first NBA title.<\/p>\n Lloyd is respected around the league and is valued as a networker with many European connections, which was instrumental in the Wolves\u2019 drafting of French center Joan Beringer last summer.<\/p>\n The Timberwolves are coming off an upset of the Denver Nuggets in an emotional opening-round series and face a significant challenge with Edwards\u2019 knee injury, making him questionable for the start of the Spurs series. Former Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is also uncertain for Game 1 after sitting out Game 6 of the Nuggets series with calf soreness. Dosunmu staged a legendary performance in their Game 4 win, scoring 43 points on 13-of-17 shooting, including 5-for-5 on 3-point attempts.<\/p>\n The Dosunmu trade could be one that haunts the Bulls for a while. While unloading his veterans at the trade deadline in February, Karni\u0161ovas dealt Dosunmu to Minnesota<\/a> along with Julian Phillips for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round draft picks. Dosunmu, an unrestricted free agent, now has a playoff stage to showcase his talent and cash in this summer. It\u2019s unlikely the Bulls would be in the running after opting to trade him, but if Lloyd were hired, they might have a shot.<\/p>\n![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/ctc-z-Timberwolves-Nuggets-Basketball_262067687.jpg\")
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu gestures after hitting a 3-point basket against the Denver Nuggets in the first half in Game 5 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series Monday, April 27, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/p>\n