“Gar Forman” is not a name remembered fondly in Chicago. That’s the impression I get from Chicago fans I know. Maybe there are some Forman fans out there. One can always dream.
But Gar Forman, along with his co-conspirator John Paxson, made some moves that didn’t quite pan out. They traded Jimmy Butler for players and assets that are no longer there. They had a chance to draft LaMarcus Aldridge but big-brained themselves into far less than production of LMA’s quality. They traded the picks that became Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris for Doug McDermott. They also arranged the era of the Three Alphas in Chicago when Dwyane Wade was brought in for a big homecoming. Wade played 60 games for the Bulls before deciding he’d rather play with LeBron in Cleveland.
They probably did some good stuff too, but this was a long tenure. Forman lasted over 10 years in Chicago trying to rebuild from what remained after the Jordan era ended. I will admit there were moments of excitement, but nothing ever stuck. They didn’t either.
Oh well. What’s Gar Forman up to now?
There is a tweet about Gar Forman following this line. Feel free to skip to that now. Thanks!
League sources say New Orleans will not retain longtime NBA executives Todd Quinter and former Bulls GM Gar Forman ... key members of the ousted David Griffin's staff.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 24, 2025
Quinter worked beside Griffin in Phoenix. Forman was a Griffin special adviser.
More: https://t.co/LGN9cVpeGP
With Joe Dumars coming to New Orleans, Gar Forman will not be sticking around. (Probably worth mentioning that Joe Dumars is now making decisions for the New Orleans Pelicans, and he already threw shade at “analytics.” Best of luck, Louisiana. I’m so sorry.)
It’s hard to say what he did while he was there. If it was anything like his time in Chicago, it was probably underwhelming. But it’s probably useful to have someone around with whom you can go:
“Sounds like we’re all in agreement to move forward. Rob, real quick: what does Gar think about the plan?”
“Well, Dave, he says he’s all for it. He’d do it in a heartbeat if it were his decision. Thank god it isn’t, but that’s what he said.”
“Hmm.”
“I know.”
“Maybe we should slow down and take a second look.”
A mental canary in a coal mine. If Gar likes something, maybe there’s danger down that path.
But I don’t know. Paying someone to be wrong all the time might not be seen as valuable to every franchise. Maybe it brings bad vibes. Maybe they can’t afford it. All we know is that Joe Dumars said he doesn’t need that particular “talent” around.
We wish him well. Just, find a hobby or something.