The Timberwolves' general manager is currently viewed as the odds-on favorite to join the Chicago Bulls as the executive vice president of basketball operations.
The Bulls are entering a complete reset of the franchise and starting over, with practically everything but owner Jerry Reinsdorf and his son, Michael, in limbo.
Chicago traded half of its roster at the midseason deadline, fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, fired general manager Marc Eversley and will be looking for a new head coach as well, following Billy Donovan's departure.
The rebuild now starts at the top. Michael Reinsdorf, the CEO and team president, has already begun interviewing his top candidates, and a decision is expected to be made by the end of next week, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley. HoopsHype's Michael Scotto also revealed on Wednesday that Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd has emerged as the frontrunner for the Bulls' lead executive role.
Lloyd's ties to the Windy City date back to the start of his career in the NBA. The Bensenville, Ill., native worked in the Bulls' video room during their dynastic 1990s run and was the team's media coordinator until 2003, when new general manager John Paxson promoted him to a full-time scout. Lloyd became Chicago's senior manager of basketball operations and eventually rose to the director of college scouting, which he held through the 2011-12 season.
The Orlando Magic hired Lloyd away to be their assistant general manager, and after a decade, he left the warm Florida sun to join the Timberwolves. Tim Connelly brought Lloyd on as Minnesota's senior vice president of basketball operations in 2022, then elevated him to general manager in 2024. The Wolves have reached the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two seasons under Connelly and Lloyd.
Minnesota's front office has not shied away from making aggressive roster moves since Connelly and Lloyd arrived together four years ago. The Wolves traded four first-round picks and five players to acquire Rudy Gobert in 2022, swapped D'Angelo Russell for Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in 2023 and dealt Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in 2024.
Most recently, the duo sent four second-round draft picks, Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller to the Bulls for Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips. That's paid off mightily, as Dosunmu's playoff breakout has helped power the Wolves to a 3-2 series lead over the Denver Nuggets, despite injuries to Anthony Edwards and DiVincenzo.
While Lloyd was with Chicago, the Bulls notably drafted Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson with their first-round picks. The Bulls will have two top selections — one in the lottery and one at No. 15 overall — in this summer's draft.