Bulls Closing in On Head Coach, Could Beat Trail Blazers and Mavs to the Punch

The Chicago Bulls are about to name their next head coach.

Earlier this week, reports surfaced connecting the organization to four final candidates: Portland's Tiago Splitter, Minnesota's Micah Nori, Atlanta's Ryan Schmidt, and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. Each has been part of the search process for weeks, offering varying levels of experience for new lead executive Bryson Graham to consider.

Exactly who should be considered the frontrunner at the moment is hard to say. All four have a compelling case, including the lesser-known Schmidt, who worked this past season with Graham in Atlanta.

At the same time, it's hard not to lean toward either Splitter or Nori. The former is coming off an impressive season, taking over the Portland Trail Blazers after the dramatic departure of Chauncey Billups. He left the franchise to their first playoff berth since the 2020-21 campaign, earning the No. 7 seed with a Play-In Tournament victory over the Suns.

The Trail Blazers were one of the youngest teams in the NBA. With the Bulls starting from the ground up and looking for someone who can get the best out of developing talent, Splitter may have just shown he is the right man for the job.

Can Nori make a similar argument, though? He has been Chris Finch's right-hand man in Minnesota for the past several years. The Timberwolves have done an excellent job developing guys like Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid into true winning players. Nori has also been praised repeatedly for his communication skills and personality. Both are incredibly important when you're trying to establish an entirely new culture.

To make the decision even tougher for Graham, both Splitter and Nori have been rumored as finalists for the Trail Blazers job, as well. The last thing the Bulls want is to mull over the choice too long and miss out on their preferred hire. This may have already happened with San Antonio assistant Sean Sweeney.

Well, the good news is, it sounds like a decision is coming.

Bulls Head Coach Decision Imminent?

Apr 12, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Tiago Splitter instructs players during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, the Chicago Bulls will decide on their next head coach before both the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks. The two other franchises have also taken their time, as Portland is operating under new ownership and Dallas is now under former Raptors exec Masai Ujiri.

"Chicago, which last month hired former Atlanta Hawks executive Bryson Graham as its new head of basketball operations, appears to be the closest to landing on a hire, having interviewed Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori, Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, Hawks assistant coach Ryan Schmidt and current Bulls assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr."

In other words, if the Bulls do prefer either Tiago Splitter or Micah Nori, it sounds like they are prepared to make their offer before the Trail Blazers go for it. Windhorst said it will likely take Portland at least a few more days to ramp up their search, as owner Tom Dundon is more focused on his other professional sports franchise, the Carolina Hurricanes, as they make a championship run.

Now, is it possible that Splitter tries to ask for some additional time if offered? Perhaps. One has to imagine his pre-existing ties with the Trail Blazers team have him interested in returning. However, this could also be why it's wise for the Bulls to swoop in ASAP. If they can put the pressure on him now and put up a good enough offer, they should be able to lock it in.

We can all agree that hiring the right person is what matters most. And, with that in mind, we shouldn't necessarily want the Bulls to rush to a decision. But it's not as if they haven't gone through a rigorous process. There is also a reason why so much overlap has started to occur in these searches. Clearly, there is a consensus on who deserves to be a head coach. If anything, that should have the Bulls feeling even better about coming to a conclusion soon.

Let's also not forget that pre-draft workouts are ramping up. The draft is officially less than two weeks away. For the Bulls to make the most informed decision with their four picks, having a head coach to bounce ideas around with isn't a bad idea.

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