Billy Donovan suddenly finds himself standing in the middle of an earthquake in Chicago! But he’s the one person in the Bulls’ basketball operation who still has real control over what happens next. The front office has been cleared out around him, and yet the Hall of Famer on the sideline is the one holding the most leverage — including whether his future runs through Chicago, another NBA bench, or even a temporary step away from the grind.
When the Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley earlier this week, it wasn’t a simple change of direction. It was ownership admitting that a 29–49 record, four straight years without a playoff berth and only one postseason appearance in six seasons under this regime simply wasn’t good enough. When speaking to the media, though, Michael Reinsdorf went out of his way to say that any new head of basketball operations will have to be sold on Donovan as coach — a pretty loud endorsement for a guy whose teams have hovered around .500.espn+5
Layer on top of that the timing of North Carolina officially turning to former Nuggets coach Michael Malone, hiring him as their next men’s basketball head coach after moving on from Hubert Davis. That hire came only after a drawn‑out courtship of Donovan, whose name sat near the top of most UNC wish lists throughout the search. For Bulls fans, it felt like Chapel Hill choosing Malone at the exact moment Reinsdorf was choosing Donovan.
What made that UNC flirtation fascinating is that Donovan has spent the last couple of years telling anyone who asked him about his potential return to an NCAA team that he’s an NBA guy now. When Kentucky had an opening in 2024, he very publicly said his total commitment and focus were with the Bulls and that he was happy coaching at this level. Even when pressed directly about the Tar Heels job back in March, he kept coming back to the same theme saying his focus is on these guys and this new team in Chicago, not chasing college openings. So Malone taking the UNC job doesn’t just close a door. Reinforcing the idea that Donovan’s next move is almost certainly staying in the NBA.
And he’s positioned to do exactly that. Last summer, Donovan signed a multiyear extension with the Bulls — his second extension in Chicago — with the team explicitly framing it as a long‑term commitment, even if they kept the exact years and dollars quiet. This means Donovan isn’t a lame‑duck coach scrambling for his next paycheck though. He’s a coach with enough contract security that he can choose to ride this out in Chicago, ask out for another NBA job down the line, or even step away for a season knowing he’s already proven his value around the league.
Reinsdorf’s comments this week only deepen that leverage. He’s said flatly that if a GM candidate isn’t on board with Donovan, they’re probably not the right candidate for us, and that he wants Billy to have a bigger say in player acquisition going forward. Multiple sources have noted that the Bulls are expected to try to retain Donovan in some capacity no matter who runs the front office. That opens the door to something more expansive than him simply being the head coach — whether that’s a louder voice in the room or some kind of Brad Stevens‑style hybrid role over time.
All of this is happening against a really human backdrop. Earlier this year Donovan lost his father, Bill, a Boston College legend who died at 85, something first reported by the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune. Many sources have said that he lost his mother‑in‑law a few weeks later, and that people around the team believe this season has taken a real emotional toll on him. That’s why the idea is being floated, by many national reporters, that he could step away for a year to reset, with the Bulls keeping him close as a senior voice or advisor rather than losing him entirely.
There’s even a louder version of that idea making the rounds in Chicago which has Donovan moving upstairs and someone else takes the bench. Columnist Joe Cowley has openly suggested a scenario where Donovan becomes a vice president–type figure and Tom Thibodeau comes back as head coach. Joe also publicly pointed out that Thibodeau has repaired his relationship with the Reinsdorf family and John Paxson since his messy 2015 exit, which helps explain why we’re suddenly hearing his name again an option to return in some capacity. It’s speculative, sure, but it shows how wide the range of outcomes is once Donovan decides what he actually wants.
Here’s the thing, folks: All of this leaves Billy in a surprisingly strong position for a coach whose team is headed to the lottery yet again. The Bulls want him, loudly and publicly. They’ve committed guaranteed years to him and he has made it clear that his future even more firmly toward the NBA. That gives Donovan the ability to take a deep breath after this season, weigh his family situation, look at the Bulls’ plan and the rest of the league, and then say yes or no on his own terms.
With that… If he returns to the United Center sideline next fall, it might be as the same steady voice with a little more say in roster decisions, maybe even as the de facto face of basketball operations while a new GM grows into the job. If he decides he needs a year away, it’s easy to imagine the Bulls sliding him into an advisory role and letting someone else eat the nightly grind without cutting ties altogether. And if, after all of that, he eventually decides his next chapter is with another NBA franchise, he’ll walk into that opportunity as a Hall of Fame coach with a fresh multiyear deal on his résumé and a rare level of leverage for someone coming out of a losing season.
If you cannot play with them, then root for them!