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PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MARCH 05: Head coach Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls during the second half of the NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center on March 05, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Bulls defeated the Suns 105-103. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bulls will not be participating in the postseason this year. After making some moves at the trade deadline, they have finally decided to shift into rebuilding mode. Because of the moves they have made, they will have plenty of money to spend in free agency.
Chicago has already decided to make some moves before the year ends. They decided to waive Jaden Ivey after some controversial comments he made. With so many guards on the roster, the Bulls decided that they didn’t need someone creating a distraction.
Figuring out the right players to bring in might not be the only thing that the Bulls have to do when the season ends. They are at risk of losing Billy Donovan, as well.
Bulls Might Lose Billy Donovan After the Season
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Donovan might decide to leave the Bulls. He could leave if vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas continues to stay. He is the one who is in charge of making the roster decisions, and it doesn’t sound like Donovan likes it.
“If Karnisovas stays, there’s a growing chance that Donovan walks at the end of the season. Then the Reinsdorfs will leave Karnisovas with a coaching search, a lottery draft choice, and free agent decisions with money to spend,” Cowley wrote.
Before this season, the Bulls were stuck in the middle of the NBA. They were constantly in the play-in at the end of the year, which means they weren’t one of the best teams. It also meant they weren’t bad enough to get one of the top lottery picks in the league.
Karnisovas is the one building the roster, so that falls on him. Donovan has been in Chicago since the start of the 2020 season. He has been in the NBA since 2015, when he made the move from Florida to coach the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Chicago has a lot of Decisions to Make in the Offseason
Retaining Donovan isn’t the only decision that the Bulls might have to navigate over the next few months. They have some roster decisions that need to be made, as well. They will have a lot of cap space to spend, and they have to decide who to spend that money on.
Josh Giddey is the best player on the roster right now, but Matas Buzelis is the one that has the highest ceiling. Building around those two players should be the priority for Chicago over the next few years. They are hoping to get some lottery luck this year, too.
This year, the Bulls have the seventh-worst offense in the league. They need to figure out a way to make the offense more efficient and find a way to score easier baskets. Donovan must not think that Karnisovas is the right man to build that kind of roster.
If Donovan does decide to leave, it’s unclear what his coaching future is. It’s also unclear who would be on Chicago’s wishlist to replace him.
Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano
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