Two weeks after cleaning house in the front office, the Chicago Bulls are preparing to fill their vacant head of basketball operations position. The organization has identified six candidates, led by Detroit Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey.
In addition to Lindsey, the Bulls received permission to interview Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Hawks senior VP Bryson Graham, Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey and Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Chicago also plans to speak with Austin Brown, co-head of CAA's basketball division and one of the NBA's most prominent agents.
Below is a brief background check on these candidates, along with some of the most notable moves they've made in their careers.
Bulls interested in six candidates for head of basketball operations role
Any one of these six prospects — or maybe one not on this list — will be walking into a relatively enviable position. Chicago owns two top-15 picks in this summer's draft (three in the top 38), $60 million in cap space, and Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey as cornerstones.
Dennis Lindsey
Lindsey is an experienced NBA executive with an enticing resume. He built a consistent contender as general manager of the Utah Jazz, constructing a roster around Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
He was a senior advisor for the Dallas Mavericks when they made the NBA Finals in 2024. He played a major role in acquiring PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford that season.
Lindsey arrived in Detroit last offseason as a crucial voice in the ear of GM Trajan Langdon. The Pistons are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after winning just 14 games two years ago.
Matt Lloyd
Lloyd is a Chicago native who worked for the Bulls from 1995 to 2012. He was an assistant GM in Orlando in 2021-22 before moving on to Minnesota. He's worked for the Timberwolves since, rising to GM in 2024.
Before adding GM responsibilities, Lloyd was responsible for pro, international and college scouting for the Wolves and assisted with roster management and player development.
Bryson Graham
Graham just completed his first season in Atlanta after spending 15 years with the New Orleans Pelicans, where he worked his way up to the GM spot.
Graham is best known for his scouting acumen, both at the NBA level and in the draft. He helped build a roster that included undervalued prospects who became key contributors, like Dyson Daniels, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III.
Mike Gansey
Gansey was instrumental in creating one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference in Cleveland. He played a role in trading for Donovan Mitchell and drafting Evan Mobley.
However you feel about the decision to acquire James Harden, it was undoubtedly a bigger splash than anything that's happened in Chicago lately.
Dave Telep
Telep has spent his entire NBA career in the Spurs front office. Across 13 seasons, he worked his way up from scouting coordinator to assistant GM in one of the most stable and successful franchises in league history.
Before landing in San Antonio, Telep was the senior national recruiting analyst for ESPN.
Austin Brown
The most intriguing name on this list, Brown's client list with CAA includes Cooper Flagg, Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell. He's been offered multiple front office roles since 2020, including Chicago's GM job under Arturas Karisovas that eventually went to Marc Eversley, per Charania.
Bob Meyers (Golden State), Rob Pelinka (LA Lakers) and Leon Rose (New York Knicks) have all had successful careers as executives after stints as top agents.
Add us as a preferred source on Google