Bulls Reportedly Target Two Timberwolves In Front Office and Coaching Search

The Chicago Bulls are in the process of finalizing the front office hire after narrowing the candidates down to four. One of them stands up as a strong candidate.

Per HoopsHype's Mike Scotto, Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd has emerged as the frontrunner for the Bulls' lead executive vacancy. The Bulls had narrowed down to three other finalists: Atlanta Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham, Detroit Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey and Boston Celtics assistant general manager Dave Lewin, who was added to the Bulls' radar, reported by Jake Fischer of The Stein Line on Monday.

Born and raised in Chicago, Lloyd began his career as a Bulls intern before spending nine years with the organization across media coordination, operations and scouting. He departed in 2012, joined the Orlando Magic as assistant general manager, spent a decade there and eventually landed in Minnesota, where he was promoted to general manager in 2024. His fingerprints are on a Timberwolves roster that developed Anthony Edwards into a franchise cornerstone and built genuine Western Conference contention around him.

The Bulls are working step by step in rebuilding following the front office overhaul and former head coach Billy Donovan's exit. Intriguingly, if Lloyd gets the job, the Timberwolves' current lead assistant, Micah Nori, is expected to be a strong candidate for the Bulls' vacant head coaching position, according to Scotto.

Nori's path to this moment is worth understanding. He broke into coaching with the Toronto Raptors in 2009, spent four seasons there before moving to Sacramento, and then joined Mike Malone's staff in Denver in 2015. In Colorado, Nori was part of the coaching infrastructure that helped shape Nikola Jokic's early development — a detail that carries significant weight given what Jokic became. He also formed a close working relationship with fellow assistant Chris Finch, helping build the free-flowing offensive identity that would define Denver's later championship years.

When Finch took the Minnesota job in 2021, he brought Nori into his crew. When Finch suffered a patellar tendon injury during Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against Phoenix in 2024, Nori stepped into the interim head coaching role and guided the Timberwolves on their historic run to the Western Conference Finals, including a seven-game second-round upset of the Nuggets.

The Athletic has identified Nori as one of the top head coaching candidates leaguewide this summer, and per Scotto, he appears ready to accept his first permanent head coaching position. His ability to connect with star players — Jokic in Denver and Edwards now in Minnesota — translates directly to what the Bulls need as they build around Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and whoever arrives via the draft or future trades.