Utah Jazz General Manager Justin Zanik has been granted permission to interview for the Chicago Bulls’ open General Manager position.
Justin Zanik, the General Manager of the Utah Jazz, has enjoyed quite a rise over the years when it comes to front office reputation.
The former player agent was promoted to General Manager of the Jazz last summer, and quickly made a splash during the free agency period, securing an agreement from Bojan Bogdanovic in what could very well be Utah’s greatest free agency signing.
Before that, though, he was chomping at the bit for a promotion. He started with the Jazz as an Assistant General Manager before leaving for the General Manager-in-waiting job in Milwaukee. When things didn’t work out, he returned to Utah and also garnered interest from the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now, Zanik is set to interview for the Chicago Bulls’ open General Manager position, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
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Chicago is going to be making several front office changes this summer, and getting Zanik on board would be a gigantic start for them. Losing Zanik would be a gigantic loss for the Jazz.
When the Jazz promoted Dennis Lindsey to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and Justin Zanik to General Manager over the summer, they talked about stability. They have formed one of the top front offices in the league, and the hope has been that it will stay in place for a long time.
Just because Zanik is interviewing for the job doesn’t mean he will get it or even want it. He is, though, one of the strongest candidate that we have seen thus far. The move to a bigger city could be appealing, as could building a team that features an exciting young core in Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Coby White.
Moving to Chicago could also give Zanik some more front office power. Lindsey may not have the General Manager tag in Utah anymore, but he still has a major say in all roster decisions.
Chicago is in the very early stages of this overhaul, so don’t expect to see any news coming out anytime soon. They’ll take their time and make sure they find the right man for the job. Let’s not forget, we still (might) have a regular season to finish up as well.
Justin Zanik has been a hot commodity among NBA front offices over the past few years. The Utah Jazz are lucky to have him. Let’s hope the pairing lasts, and if not, wish him the best wherever he ends up.