Report: Bulls hope to retain Billy Donovan after UNC makes coaching hire

Billy Donovan was thought to be the NBA coach North Carolina wanted for its coaching search. Well, another name appeared out of left field on Monday afternoon. Michael Malone, who won an NBA Championship with the Denver Nuggets, will take over in Chapel Hill. This now leaves questions about Donovan’s future in Chicago with the Bulls.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Bulls do want to retain Donovan for the 2026-2027 season. Some organizational changes did take place in Chicago, meaning some wondered if the same would follow at the head coach position. Donovan apparently will have some other options around the association as well.

“After dismissing Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, sources say Chicago very much hopes to retain head coach Billy Donovan, who remains under contract with the Bulls,” Fischer said via X. “Although, with Michael Malone off to UNC, Donovan will be a veteran head coach other NBA teams surely covet for jobs that may and will open shortly.”

Donovan has been in the NBA for over a decade now. Not just as Chicago’s head coach either, originally jumping to the professional ranks to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder. Results certainly have been mixed, only making it past the first round of the NBA playoffs once. All but one of Donovan’s six seasons with the Bulls have resulted in missing the playoffs.

Still, Donovan found himself as one of the main targets for the North Carolina job. Donovan constantly gets linked to big-time college jobs. Winning two national championships at Florida will do that, even if the game has changed so much since then. Adding two more Final Fours, six SEC regular season titles, and four SEC Tournament championships only helps his case.

Many thought North Carolina would actually be the job Donovan takes to get back into college basketball. Before the hiring of Malone, Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68 said the Tar Heels’ focus was on Donovan.

“North Carolina is now solely focusing its efforts on Billy Donovan,” Goodman said Sunday afternoon on The Field of 68 podcast. “They’re going to go hard after him, per sources. They expect to know more in the next 24 hours.”

Whether or not Donovan remains in Chicago, we will have to wait and see. The Bulls are going to fight in the coming days and weeks to keep their head coach. But the one landing spot we can officially cross off is Chapel Hill.