The Chicago Bulls have announced that head coach Billy Donovan has parted ways with the franchise after six seasons. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Donovan will no longer be the head coach of the organization.
According to Charania, it appears this decision is being made by Donovan. The Bulls wanted to bring Donovan back, but he has decided to leave. There will be a new GM in charge in Chicago, and it appears Donovan did not like the direction the franchise was going.
Chicago made the decision to fire vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley after six years. Donovan wanted the new decision-makers to be able to make their own coaching hire.
Billy Donovan Leaves the Chicago Bulls After Six Years
GettyChicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan reacts in a game. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Donovan will now become one of the top coaching candidates for other teams in the NBA. There were rumors that North Carolina wanted him as their head coach before the Tar Heels hired Michael Malone. Now, Donovan will likely pursue open NBA head coaching positions.
This season, the Bulls missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. They made the decision to trade several players at the trade deadline, indicating a rebuild this season. Now, they are clearly in a full organization rebuild. They are hoping to move up in the draft lottery to accelerate that.
Under Donovan, the Bulls had the eighth-worst net rating in the league. The Chicago Bulls were never able to land the offensive superstar who could help take them to the next level. A big reason for that was the fact that they were constantly in the middle of the NBA in terms of the standings.
Poor drafting and contract decisions have prevented the Bulls from being able to compete at the highest level. Now, they will bring in an entire new set of decision-makers at every level of the franchise.
The Chicago Bulls Become Another Team in Need of a Coach
GettyChicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talks to his team during a timeout. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Chicago is the latest team in the NBA in need of a new coach. There are a handful of other organizations that the Bulls will need to compete with to hire a new head man. Donovan will likely be able to find a new job relatively quickly, which is why he made this decision.
The Bulls have the ninth-best odds to land the number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. If they are able to move up into the top three, that would give them the superstar they have been without since Derrick Rose was hurt. They have not been able to recover since he started suffering knee issues after winning the MVP.
Chicago will start their search for a new coach immediately after they hire a new GM. They will now let the new GM bring in his own guy to lead the Bulls into a new era.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chicago Bulls Announce Major Billy Donovan Decision appeared first on Heavy Sports.