6 Candidates Emerge for Bulls' Head Coach Opening, Will There Be More?

The Chicago Bulls finalized the hiring of Bryson Graham's first two lead executives on Tuesday afternoon. Both Orlando's Stephen Mervis and Brooklyn's Acie Law IV have joined the fold in new roles. The former will serve as the Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations, while the latter will become the Vice President of Player Personnel.

The positions signal a slight change in structure for the Bulls organization, as well as the potential for more new positions to be added in the future. Nevertheless, the next line of business for Graham may very well be pivoting to the coaching staff. The Bulls are still one of only three teams that do not currently have a permanent head coach in place for 2026-27. New Orleans officially took their name off that list this week, hiring former Magic leading man Jamahl Mosley to take over its young squad.

Up until this point, there hasn't been much news on who Graham may look to pursue for the opening. A few names have been loosely connected in recent weeks, but a search seemingly hasn't started in earnest. Is it time that finally changes? A recent update from The Stein Line implies that this could be the case, as there is finally a more established list of potential candidates.

List of Chicago Bulls Head Coach Candidates Emerge

Jan 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Considering where the Chicago Bulls are as a team, it hasn't been particularly difficult to speculate about which coaches they might look to interview. Rebuilding organizations typically seek out high-ranking assistants, and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line all but confirmed that this is the plan for Bryson Graham's braintrust.

The names reportedly on the Bulls' current radar as as followed ...

• San Antonio Spurs Associate Head Coach Sean Sweeney
• Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori
• Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss
• Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter
• New Orleans Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego
• Chicago Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr.

For what it's worth, we have discussed several of these coaches as viable candidates in recent weeks. Nori was strongly connected to Chicago when Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd was a finalist for the Bulls' lead executive job. However, considering his high standing around the NBA, he never felt off the list simply due to Chicago going with a different executive.

Sweeney is also an incredibly well-regarded young mind who has only climbed the ranks this season. San Antonio has become a true Finals threat despite having one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. The Stein Line also mentioned him as a likely candidate for the Bulls earlier this month.

As for James Borrego, he officially entered the conversation this week. While many were quick to mention how he and Graham crossed paths in New Orleans upon the Bulls' hiring, he was in the running to remain the Pelicans head coach. Of course, they decided to go in another direction, thus making Borrego a free agent.

Unseld Jr. was also a presumed candidate from the moment Billy Donovan chose to depart the franchise. Familiar with the current young talent on the roster and a former head coach with the Washington Wizards, history says someone like Unseld Jr. typically receives at least a Round 1 interview with their current franchise.

Jan 18, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Washington Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. coaches against the New York Knicks during the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This leaves Dave Bliss and Tiago Splitter as the two newest names to add to the list. Bliss is a 40-year-old assistant who started his career with the Thunder in 2010 as a video analyst. He would proceed to become an assistant with the New York Knicks for several years before returning to the Thunder in 2018 under Billy Donovan, and he's remained with the franchise since.

To little surprise, the OKC assistant has garnered some head coaching interest in the past, most recently interviewing with the Suns. Interestingly enough, Bliss also served as one of the four head coaches for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. He had the chance of leading Kenny Smith's team, which featured stars like Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, and Cade Cunningham.

Bliss has been in charge of the defense while working under Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. This has been Oklahoma City's bread-and-butter in recent years, as they have held a Top 4 defensive rating in each of the past three seasons. This includes sitting at the top of the NBA leaderboard in each of the past two campaigns.

As for Splitter, he unexpectedly took over the Portland Trail Blazers' top job after Chauncey Billups landed in legal trouble. The former seven-year NBA veteran proceeded to lift the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record and a No. 7 seed in the West. It marked their first playoff appearance since the 2020-21 season.

Considering all the young talent Splitter managed in Portland, he could be a particularly strong fit for the Bulls' rebuilding situation. Still, it seems unclear whether the Trail Blazers will accept the Bulls' request to speak with the 41-year-old, per Fischer. Despite not being a shoo-in for the Trail Blazers head coach job moving forward, Splitter is currently under contract for next season.

To be clear, this list should not be viewed as the end-all, be-all. There is a decent chance that at least a few more names will be added. Much like hiring a lead executive, it sure doesn't hurt to stretch things far and wide. It's a great way to learn about the best practices from coaching staffs around the league, as well as potentially find a diamond in the rough.

Still, there is no question that this current list of six candidates makes a lot of sense. Graham is clearly interested in finding a young, up-and-coming mind to grow with his new team, and it feels very possible that one of these names above could check that box in his eyes

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X and Facebook for the latest news

Add us as a preferred source on Google