Major plot twist for the Chicago Bulls!
NBA
The firing of Karnisovas and Eversley from the front office signals the start of a new era for the Bulls
In a dramatic twist, Billy Donovan is now expected to remain in Chicago following Mike Malone’s surprise move to North Carolina
- Óscar Périz
Journalist
Busy days for the Chicago Bulls. After recent speculation that Billy Donovan could leave for the NCAA once the current NBA season ends, the situation within the Illinois franchise has taken a dramatic turn following a series of developments over the past few hours.
The first major domino fell with the surprising hiring of Mike Malone as head coach at University of North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, one of the most prestigious programs in college basketball. Donovan had been considered one of the leading candidates for the job and was widely expected to take over the Tar Heels after the NBA season. However, UNC chose not to wait and ultimately went with the former Nuggets coach, removing Donovan from the equation.
The next moves came quickly. Just hours after Malone’s hiring was announced—and with only days left in the regular season—the Bulls officially fired Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, the franchise’s top basketball decision-makers. Their six-year tenure ends with just one playoff appearance and three play-in berths.
Beyond the lack of on-court success and questionable roster decisions, one of the key factors behind their dismissal was a disastrous trade deadline move involving Jaden Ivey, who had been let go just a week earlier following controversial comments about the LGBTQ+ community during an Instagram Live.
Their departure marks yet another turning point for the franchise. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls now view retaining Donovan as head coach as their “top priority.”
Still, his future is not fully guaranteed. While the organization works to clarify the coaching situation, Chicago has already begun searching for a new executive to lead the front office, along with a new general manager to start planning for next season, with a particular focus on the NBA Draft lottery.
Several prominent names have already surfaced in early speculation, including Bob Myers, Masai Ujiri, Kyle Korver, Landry Fields, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Luol Deng, and Matt Lloyd.