On a day he could have re-energized his frustrated fan base with a strong show of leadership, Karnišovas essentially ceded control with one big, “We’ll see what happens.”

Inaction could not last forever. The Chicago Bulls finally made a move at the trade deadline after three consecutive years of standing pat, taking one more step forward toward a future vision of a rebuild.

“Karnišovas clarifies this: Says he won’t stand in way of young players making playoff run, said that’s sign of development and growth,” K.C. Johnson said in a post. “Understands if they don’t make playoffs, their draft pick can be better.”