TITLE: Bulls Eye New Front Office While Hoping Billy Donovan Stays
SLUG: bulls-eye-new-front-office-while-hoping-billy-donovan-stays
CONTENT:
The Chicago Bulls dismissed executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Monday, but multiple reports indicate the organization intends to keep head coach Billy Donovan if he wishes to remain.
On ESPN’s “NBA Today,” reporter Shams Charania said Chicago wants Donovan “as long as he wants to be there.” Donovan, 60, signed a multiyear extension last summer and is expected to draw interest from other clubs with coaching vacancies, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
Search begins for new leadership
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic identified Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd as an early name to monitor for Chicago’s front-office overhaul. Lloyd launched his NBA career in Chicago and is well regarded around the league.
Why ownership moved swiftly
Team sources told ESPN’s Jamal Collier that ownership had weighed changes for several weeks, accelerating the decision after the club traded for – and soon waived – guard Jaden Ivey. Questions about the vetting process, combined with dwindling credibility among rival executives and fans, pushed ownership to act.
Collier reported a widening rift between the previous front office and other departments. After shipping out several veterans before February’s trade deadline to collect seven second-round picks, employees said they were unclear about the franchise’s strategy. “People didn’t know the plan,” one source said.
Internal disagreements over rebuilding
Karnišovas and Eversley had long maintained they were operating under ownership’s reluctance to undertake a full rebuild. Donovan also prefers to avoid rebuilds, Collier noted, even as the club remained mired in mediocrity.
Underwhelming trade returns were another factor. Sources pointed to the delayed breakup of the core group of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vučević, Alex Caruso, Coby White, and Lonzo Ball. Ball’s prolonged knee issues—he has missed more than two seasons—further complicated decisions. “We took too long to pick a lane,” one source said.
Donovan’s future role uncertain
While Chicago would like Donovan to stay, Collier wrote that the position could change if the coach prefers a different role or time away. Donovan’s father and mother-in-law died within eight days in February, leading to speculation he might step back for a season.
The Bulls have not announced a timetable for hiring new basketball operations leadership.
Source: Hoops Rumors
