Tiago Splitter is fully committed and locked in on his new role as head coach of the Chicago Bulls.
New Chicago Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter comes to Chicago amid somewhat shocking, yet understandable, circumstances. Splitter did what can only be described as an "excellent" job during his stint as the man in charge of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Portland Trail Blazers lost former head coach Chauncey Billups right as the 2025-26 NBA regular season started. Billups was arrested on October 23, 2025, as part of a federal probe into illegal gambling and rigged poker games tied to organized crime. Billups was placed on leave by the NBA following the indictment.
Splitter immediately took over, did his best to keep some of Billups' system while installing some of his own plays, and led Portland to a 42-40 record. That winning record was enough to give the Trail Blazers their first playoff appearance since 2021. Splitter led Portland to the No. 8 seed and the Play-In Tournament. They won their Play-In game against the Phoenix Suns to secure the No. 7 seed.
Portland played the eventual Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs in the First Round of the playoffs, losing in five games.
After being thrown into the head coaching fire unexpectedly, Splitter performed as admirably as you could have expected. With that being said, most pundits expected Splitter to receive new contract to stay installed as head coach in Portland.
At the very least, most expected Portland to have extensive negotiations with Splitter following an unexpectedly successful season.
Instead, Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon reportedly offered Splitter a salary well below ($1.5 million annually) what NBA head coaches typically make. This low offer came despite the fact that the Portland players almost unanimously supported Splitter staying installed as the head coach of the Trail Blazers.
Star wing Deni Avdija had the best season of his career in his lone year under Splitter, averaging 24.2 PPG. 6.9 RPG, 6.7 APG and making his first All-Star appearance. Avdija said during the season, "He got thrown in a difficult situation. It's not always easy for him to, all of a sudden, take the head job. I think he's done phenomenal."
Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon interviewed potential Portland head coaching candidates during their postseason run, a move seen as quite disrespectful to his acting head coach. Portland eventually landed on former Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori as their new head coach. Splitter quickly bolted for a fresh start and market value deal as the head coach of an up-and-coming squad in Chicago.
Splitter's 5,700 square feet, five-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom home in Portland is listed on the market at $3.5 million. Splitter had bought the Lake Oswego mansion for $3.3 million back in 2025, but now, he officially calls the Chicago area his home.
