Bulls Cleared to Interview 5 Major League Execs and It's Already Getting Messy

The Chicago Bulls are on the hunt for a new front office boss, and they're not messing around. The team got the green light to interview five established executives from across the league, sources told ESPN on Monday. Interviews are supposed to start this week, with a hire targeted before or right after the mid-May draft combine.

This all went down after the Bulls fired executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6. Six years of work, one playoff appearance. That's the kind of track record that gets you shown the door in Chicago.

The Candidate List Is Star-Studded

The Bulls got permission to interview Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd, Pistons senior vice president Dennis Lindsey, Hawks senior vice president Bryson Graham, Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey, and Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep. They're also expected to talk to Austin Brown, co-head of CAA's basketball division. That's a serious group with serious experience.

Lloyd, for what it's worth, spent 17 years in Chicago's basketball operations from 1995 to 2012, so he knows the lay of the land. Reinsdorf made it clear the Bulls are casting a wider net this time around compared to the search that landed Karnisovas back in 2020.

One Thing Is Non-Negotiable: Billy Donovan

Here's where it gets real. Bulls CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf laid down the law about head coach Billy Donovan. The guy is staying, period. "If I interview someone and they're not sold on Billy, they're not sold on a Hall of Fame coach, they're not sold on a person who's won championships in college, who's gone deep in the playoffs with Oklahoma City," Reinsdorf said. "If Billy wants to be our coach and someone's not interested in that, then they're probably not the right candidate for us."

Donovan played it cool when asked about the vote of confidence. "I think Michael was making the point of how he felt about me," he said. "But I also understand that everybody's got to look out for what is best for the Bulls at that point in time."

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.