Mark Eversley will stay put in Chicago's front office as Hornets will hire young executive Jeff Peterson

General manager Marc Eversley will remain in the Chicago Bulls as the Charlotte Hornets have already identified their newest chief executive. 

On Thursday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager Jeff Peterson will succeed Mitch Kupchak and assume the Hornets' head of basketball operations helm. Peterson bested other candidates, which included Eversley, for the coveted position.

Eversley was one of the “leading candidates”

As Kupchak stepped down for an advisory role in early February, Eversley stood up as one of the key candidates who may take over for the Hornets franchise. As such, a report from John Hollinger and Jenna West of The Athletic indicated that he stands as one of the leading names to monitor for the big-time job.

"League sources have mentioned Philadelphia 76ers general manager Elton Brand, Chicago Bulls general manager Marc Eversley and New Orleans Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon as the three leading candidates for the top position with the Hornets.”

Dating back to 2018, the Hornets interviewed Eversley for the said top front-office post, but the organization ultimately pivoted towards Kupchak and hired him as their team president.

Mark stays in the Windy City

As it is, Eversley will continue to help operate the Bulls since assuming the general manager seat in 2020 and joining Vice President Arturas Karnisovas in the franchise's basketball leadership. He initially came from the Philadelphia 76ers as Vice President of Player Staff for four seasons.

He is often credited for pulling DeMar DeRozan to the Bulls during the 2021 free agency, even flying to Los Angeles in order to convince the star swingman to join Chicago amid warm interest from other teams. His aggressiveness paid off as Deebo ultimately landed in Chicago via a three-year, $85 million deal on a sign-and-trade deal with the San Antonio Spurs.

Despite his role in the franchise's acquisition of Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, the Bulls have yet to secure another playoff appearance under his watch since the 2021-22 campaign. Chicago currently sits at the 9th spot of the East with a 28-31 record.