Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has resigned after six seasons, a move that clears the path for a new front office to reshape the struggling franchise.
The decision, announced on Tuesday, sees Donovan step aside rather than work with incoming leadership.
President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf had previously indicated his wish for Donovan to stay, even after dismissing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley near the end of the season.
Reinsdorf had stated that anyone seeking to bring in a new coach was “probably not the right candidate for us.”
However, it now appears the incoming head of the organization will have that opportunity.
“While we clearly wanted Billy to return as our head coach, we had open dialogue about the importance of respecting the process of bringing in new basketball operations leadership,” Reinsdorf said in a news release.
“Together, we mutually agreed that giving that person the freedom to shape the organization was the best approach for everyone involved.”
Donovan, 60, has consistently affirmed his passion for coaching. His departure from the Bulls was made “after a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization,” he stated in the team release.
“I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls, to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”
Donovan was considered a top candidate when the Bulls hired him in September 2020, shortly after Karnisovas and Eversley took their roles.
Under his leadership, Chicago made a single playoff appearance in the 2021-22 season, finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference before being eliminated by Milwaukee in the first round. The team subsequently lost in the play-in tournament for the next three consecutive years.
Despite this, Donovan received a contract extension last offseason, with Michael Reinsdorf attributing the team’s issues to roster construction rather than the coach.
Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Michael’s father, commended Donovan for the “class and genuine care” he brought to the organization.
“We wanted Billy to continue as our head coach — that was never in question,” Jerry Reinsdorf said. “But through honest conversations, we all agreed that giving our new head of basketball operations the right to build out his staff was the most important thing for the future of this franchise. That is the kind of person Billy is — he put the Bulls first.”
The previous front office, led by Karnisovas, faced criticism for its inability to secure a franchise cornerstone player and its reluctance to rebuild.
A shift in strategy occurred before this year’s trade deadline, involving trades that saw Nikola Vucevic move to Boston, Kevin Huerter to Detroit, Coby White to Charlotte, and Ayo Dosunmu to Minnesota.
These deals primarily yielded second-round draft picks, with no first-rounders in return.
One player acquired, Jaden Ivey from Detroit, was later waived by Chicago following anti-LGBTQ+ comments he made in videos posted on his Instagram account.
