Reinsdorf's New GM Hunt Has One Non-Negotiable: Billy Donovan Stays

Chicago's front office just got a complete overhaul. Bulls CEO and team president Michael Reinsdorf fired vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Tuesday, and now he's laying down the law about what comes next: whoever replaces them has to be all in on Billy Donovan as head coach.

"If I interview someone and they're not sold on Billy, they're not sold on a Hall of Fame coach," Reinsdorf said during a video call Tuesday. "They're not sold on a person who's won championships in college, who's gone deep in the playoffs with Oklahoma City. If Billy wants to be our coach and someone's not interested in that, then they're probably not the right candidate for us."

The Donovan Question Gets Answered This Week

Donovan is scheduled to sit down with ownership the day after Sunday's season finale to talk about his future, and Reinsdorf confirmed he doesn't expect that conversation to drag on. The bigger picture: Reinsdorf wants Donovan not just to stay, but to expand his role. He's planning to push the coach to get more involved in personnel decisions moving forward.

Why Clean House Now?

With the Bulls sitting at 29-49 and a week left in the regular season, Reinsdorf acknowledged the hard truth. "Over the last few months, I started looking at where we were at and I thought to myself, 'How are we going to get out of this mess?'" he said. The six-year run with Karnisovas and Eversley didn't work. Now Reinsdorf sees opportunity: significant cap space this summer, potential lottery picks, and an extra first-round pick heading to Chicago if Portland makes the playoffs. It's a blank slate to rebuild the right way.

"I just felt like now is the time," Reinsdorf said. "We tried the other route. It didn't work. We failed and now we're in position to get this right. Clean slate."

The Search Begins (And It's Different This Time)

The Bulls are bringing in a search firm to help find Karnisovas' replacement, working alongside Reinsdorf, senior advisor John Paxson, and the current basketball operations team. That's a change from 2020, when they hired Karnisovas without a search firm. Reinsdorf admitted that approach had its limits: he didn't even meet Karnisovas in person until after he got the job, stuck on zoom calls during the pandemic. This time, Reinsdorf is committed to casting a wider net and being more hands-on in the process.

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