Eventful Monday leaves Bulls' Billy Donovan in limbo

Two big events on Monday should have a big effect on Billy Donovan's future. The Chicago Bulls fired Donovan's boss, executive vice president Arturas Karnisovas, and then the University of North Carolina hired Michael Malone as their new head coach.

Now, Donovan will have a new boss, one who didn't hire him to lead the team, while his most attractive landing spot outside of Chicago no longer exists. Donovan may not want to be part of a likely Bulls rebuild next season, but he might not have other options.

Chicago Bulls still want to keep their head coach — for now

Marc Stein reported that the Bulls still want to keep Donovan as their head coach. He's spent six seasons at the helm of the Bulls, joining the team before the 2020-21 season, the same as Karnisovas. The Bulls have made just one playoff appearance under Donovan, after going 46-36 in 2021-22. They've also lost in the play-in tournament three times.

Still, the Bulls reportedly "still hope to retain Donovan." The team signed Donovan, who won two national titles with the University of Florida, to a long-term extension last summer. Chicago traded away many veterans at midseason, creating a potential $60M in cap space. They're poised for a rebuild, something the 60-year-old Donovan may or may not be interested in leading. 

The veteran coach mutually parted ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Thunder started their rebuild. It might be different with the Bulls. Donovan's son coaches their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls.

Ordinarily, whoever succeeds Karnisovas would want to choose their own head coach, but they may not be offered the chance if Bulls ownership is committed to Donovan.

Billy Donovan's options may be limited for a new job

Donovan is one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches. He was a leading candidate for the head job at North Carolina and hoped to engage with the Tar Heels after the season ended. However, they went with former Denver Nuggets coach Malone, leaving Donovan without a landing spot.

There could be a number of head-coaching vacancies in the NBA next season. Donovan could be a prime candidate, though moving to a different NBA team is more difficult than going to a college team. The Bulls could deny permission for teams to interview Donovan, as they did last summer when the New York Knicks were looking for a new coach.

There may not be a coaching opportunity as good as his current job for Donovan. The Bulls may not want to move on from Donovan if they still have to pay him. The marriage of Donovan and the Bulls may continue simply because neither side has better options.

It's not how you'd want to go into an important summer. The Bulls have 12 weeks until the start of free agency to figure everything out.