The day has come. At long last, the Chicago Bulls have parted ways with general manager Marc Eversley and VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, ending a frustrating tenure for the team, which never seemed to be progressing positively. I will never celebrate people losing their jobs, but this is clearly the right move from CEO Michael Reinsdorf. A fresh start is needed in the worst way.
Importantly, head coach Billy Donovan was not part of today's changing of the guard. At least for now, Donovan remains the head coach of the Bulls — whether that's the case at the start of the 2026-27 season might depend on how willing the Bulls are to prioritize youth and development next season.
If the plan is to load up on young guys and throw them into the fire next year, then Donovan may not be part of the plans. He is a very capable NBA coach — but it's not uncommon to see new front offices want total fresh starts, and the Bulls may be due for one.
If that's the direction they take, then Donovan might not want to stick around. There are likely to be multiple coaching vacancies this summer, and Donovan would be a hot commodity on the open market. Bulls fans would not blame him for heading elsewhere if a different team gave him a better chance to win.
However, if the plan is not to totally bottom out — and the Bulls plan to retool more than rebuild — then I don't think it's a stretch to think Donovan could be back next season. Especially with Michael Malone off the table for Chicago (and the North Carolina job off the table for Donovan), both sides might just say why not and keep a good coach instead of risking hiring someone new (and probably unproven).
It's sort of a catch-22 for Bulls fans. If they decide to look toward the future, it will likely come at the expense of a coach everyone likes. But if that coach sticks around, it's probably because the franchise is not looking toward the future, which has been the problem this whole time!
Billy Donovan is a great NBA coach for established rosters
There may not be reasons for a lot of the things this franchise does, but its unwillingness to part with Billy Donovan through mediocre seasons does make sense. He shoulders very little blame for the lack of direction this franchise has had in recent years. In fact, the Bulls have been a pretty well-coached team... They just haven't been a talented one.
Because of how far away from contention this Bulls team is right now, it's hard to imagine a huge influx of talent in the summer. Instead, a focus on the future — think lots Matas Buzelis and Noa Essengue minutes — could be in the cards. That would probably require a slightly bittersweet goodbye to the longtime coach and a hello to a young coach who understands that winning in 2030 is as important as winning in 2026.
I think fans do want a future-focused approach after not getting it under Eversley and AK. But if that's the direction the new front office (whoever that may be) decides to go, then Billy Donovan might not be long for the Windy City.