Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported the Chicago Bulls intend to formally request to interview (subscription required) Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter for their vacant head coaching position.
Fischer remarked in his report, “I've also been advised that Chicago is likely to formally request to interview Tiago Splitter, who is still under contract with Portland for next season even as the Trail Blazers actively speak to external candidates about their coaching job.” Fischer also noted that it is not clear whether the Trail Blazers would grant permission to rival NBA teams to interview Splitter.
Splitter’s journey towards NBA head coaching carousel rumors in the midst of the 2026 NBA playoffs has been nothing short of remarkable. On Oct 23, 2025, Splitter was named the interim Portland Trail Blazers head coach in the wake of Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups being placed on indefinite leave pending a legal investigation into a Federal gambling indictment.
Splitter formally started his Trail Blazers head coaching tenure with a 133-119 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the second game of the team’s 2025-26 regular season. The Trail Blazers compiled a respectable 42-40 win-loss record for the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the franchise's first .500 season since the 2020-21 NBA regular season.
Subsequently, the Splitter led his team through the NBA play-in tournament to face the formidable San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Playoffs, suffering series defeat to the Spurs in five games. All this begs the question, why is Splitter in head coach interview rumors, but that is another conversation to have.
Why Splitter’s Trail Blazers body of work fits the Bulls rebuild?
It is not an understatement to suggest that Tiago Splitter’s abrupt ascension to the Trail Blazers head coach chair may have accelerated a roster turnaround of a franchise that had not sniffed playoff contention in five years.
The on-court offensive attributes of the 2025-26 Trail Blazers should instantly look familiar to Bulls fans. Splitter’s Trail Blazers squad finished the 2025-26 NBA regular season ranked third in three-point attempt rate and 10th in pace, according to Basketball Reference.
Trail Blazers wing Deni Avdija might be the strongest selling point to take the reins of the Bulls' head coaching position. Avdija had a career year in his sixth NBA season, earning his first NBA All-Star Game selection. Riding a wave of 29.3% usage rate, per Basketball Reference, Avdija aggressively established himself as the focal point of Splitter’s offense, averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 total rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game.
It’s hard not to imagine what impact Splitter might have on Matas Buzelis’ development. To be fair, Splitter should have a good answer on why the Trail Blazers’ defensive rating (114.7) topped out at 14th in the NBA, per Basketball Reference, but a Buzelis All-Star season might be worth a questionable team defense in the short-term of the Bulls’ rebuild.
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