Bulls Front Office Faces Pressure as Billy Donovan Linked to UNC Job

Compared to rumors surrounding players and trades, speculation about front office changes carries even greater weight for the franchise's future.

According to Joe Cowley's report, a front office reshuffling could occur within the next week as the NBA season approaches its conclusion. Big names potentially affected include executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, general manager Marc Eversley, and head coach Billy Donovan, who has been linked with the University of North Carolina men's basketball program.

"...the mentality from the Reinsdorfs was very hands off. In their eyes, it was Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley who made the mess, and it was on them to fix it," Cowley wrote.

The team's dysfunction following the trade deadline has fueled front-office speculation. Despite acquiring seven new players, chemistry never developed and an on-court identity failed to materialize under Donovan. Not only have departed players like Ayo Dosunmu, Coby White and Ousmane Dieng thrived elsewhere, but Jaden Ivey's recent saga has disgraced the front office, creating additional urgency for the typically indifferent Reinsdorfs to consider changes.

Per Marc Stein's report on Sunday, there's growing anticipation that this could be Doc Rivers' final year coaching the Bucks, with Taylor Jenkins emerging as a potential candidate. Coincidentally, similar speculation surrounds the Bulls as UNC reportedly continues pursuing Donovan following Tommy Lloyd's five-year extension to remain at Arizona. The Sun-Times also reported that the Bulls intend to promote assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. if Donovan leaves.

Stein's source also supported this parallel storyline that the coming week will be "significant" in Chicago, with mounting pressure on the Bulls' front office and Donovan being pursued by North Carolina.

Donovan's representative hasn't seriously entertained potential moves until the season concludes, per The Consensus. Though the former Florida back-to-back champion coach has been frequently linked with college openings since entering the NBA, none reached serious conversations. In 2024, he dismissed Kentucky rumors despite starting his coaching career there as an assistant from 1989 to 1994 under Rick Pitino, his former coach at Providence who currently leads St. John's.

Sources from Hoops Wire's Sam Amico reported that Chicago expects to retain Donovan, who previously declined the New York Knicks' interview request during the 2025 offseason before the Bulls extended him. Donovan also stressed his main focus on the Bulls recently.

"My main focus is on these guys and this new team," Donovan said before facing Philadelphia on March 25. "I understand that there's stuff out there, and I understand that there is going to be certain speculation. But I have to concentrate on this group, and really, my focus is on what we're doing here in Chicago."

Since all three figures joined the Bulls in 2020, the franchise has never flipped to a new chapter or returned to sustained winning. Having a 195-205 record over the past five seasons, the Bulls made just one playoff appearance in 2021-22, losing to Milwaukee in the first round. The franchise has struggled with an inability to compete while making counterproductive decisions at critical junctures.

As the season folds with Chicago already eliminated from postseason contention, the organization likely enters the final evaluation stage for its front office, led by Karnisovas and Eversley. If years of fruitlessness finally reach the Reinsdorfs' breaking point, departures for one, two, or all three wouldn't be surprising.