1. Kenny Atkinson
Definitely the most recognizable, and likely one of the most appealing, names on any shortlist that Karnisovas and the Bulls could come up with is the former Nets head coach Atkinson. As one of the more surprising departures of any head coach this season so far, Atkinson shouldn’t be on the free agent market for coaches for all too long.
The Nets were doing pretty well under Atkinson’s wing in his four years as head coach. They were continuously improving, and even were one of the surprise teams to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference during the 2018-19 season. Although his career record as the Nets head coach sat at a subpar 118-190, he improved drastically in each of his first three seasons in Brooklyn.
Prior to landing the Nets head coaching job heading into the 2016-17, Atkinson had a few stops with different teams in the East. He started out his NBA coaching run with the Houston Rockets in 2007, as their director of player personnel. After one season with the Rockets, he landed with the Knicks as an assistant coach.
Atkinson was with the Knicks coaching staff through the 2011-12 season. He then landed with the Atlanta Hawks prior to the start of the 2012-13 season, and would be the head coach for a bit during the 2015-16 campaign. There’s a solid track record that Atkinson has, and he would likely be the slam dunk move if the Bulls were to hire anyone on this shortlist.