The Chicago Bulls are hiring Atlanta Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham as the franchise’s new executive vice president of basketball operations, the team revealed Monday.
Graham spent 15 years in New Orleans (2010-15) before joining Atlanta last offseason, rising from an intern in 2010-11 to general manager in 2024-25 with the Pelicans. Hawks general manager Onsi Saleh recruited Graham as his top executive last summer out of New Orleans, and Graham now becomes the Bulls’ top decision-maker.
Graham, 39, has been known across the NBA for a tremendous scouting eye. His drafting track record includes finds such as Trey Murphy III (drafted 17th), Herbert Jones (35th), Dyson Daniels (eighth) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (17th), the latter two of whom went on to win Most Improved Player awards in back-to-back years.
Graham also helped facilitate negotiations between the Pelicans and the Hawks during the draft last year that saw Atlanta gain the Pelicans’ 2026 first-round pick, one of the more coveted draft assets in the league this year.
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“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,” the Bulls reported in its statement Monday. “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 Bulls conducted in-person interviews with candidates last week and mulled over three finalists — Graham, Detroit Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey and Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd — over the weekend before deciding on Graham on Monday.
Bulls president and COO Michael Reinsdorf had cast a wider net during his search to lead the team, hiring a search firm and interviewing candidates from across the league, including Cleveland Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey, San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep and Boston Celtics assistant GM Dave Lewin.
Graham becomes just the third head of basketball operations hired by Chicago since the turn of the century. John Paxson served as president of basketball operations from 2009 to 2020 before Arturas Karnisovas took over. Karnisovas lasted six years before he was fired before the final week of the 2025-26 regular season.
Graham will get started on a job that has been highly coveted around the league, both for its market (Chicago is the third largest city in the NBA) and for the flexibility of its roster. The Bulls have their own 2026 lottery pick, the Portland Trail Blazers’ 2026 first round pick (which was conveyed as a part of a 2021 trade involving Lauri Markkanen) and nearly $60 million in cap space available.
Still, Graham has a lot of work to do building up a roster that includes Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Tre Jones and Noa Essengue, who was drafted in the lottery last season but played only two games before needing season-ending left shoulder surgery. The Bulls also will be searching for a new coach to replace Billy Donovan, who stepped down from the role after six seasons at the helm.
Chicago finished the this season 31-51 and missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.
