All Eyes Turns to Billy Donovan After Bulls Clean House & UNC Job Disappears

The Chicago Bulls made their most drastic move in years on Monday afternoon.

Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley – the organization's top two front office minds – have been fired with only four games left in the regular season. The decision comes near the end of their sixth season at the helm of the franchise, which has featured only a singular postseason appearance.

Of course, there are now a million more questions for Michael Reinsdorf to answer as the team starts a new era. And one of the biggest questions revolves around the status of Billy Donovan. You rarely see a front office kicked to the curb, only for a head coach to stick around long term.

Speaking of which, this isn't the only reason why Donovan's future is now up in the air. A strong candidate for the UNC Tar Heels head coaching gig, some more shocking news broke early on Monday. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Mike Malone will become the next head coach of the prestigious blue blood program. Malone last served as coach of the Denver Nuggets before being fired at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. Malone was the leading man in Denver for nearly ten seasons, guiding them to an NBA championship during the 2022-23 campaign.

Again, Donovan had been among the top rumored candidates for the job since the program let go of Hubert Davis. He reportedly jumped to the top of the list after Arizona's Tommy Lloyd chose to sign an extension with the Wildcats. In fact, as recently as Monday morning, The Athletic reported that UNC was aggressively targeting Donovan. They also shared that the Bulls' head coach had even started to consider possible staff members for the move back to college.

To be sure, it's been well-documented and easily assumed that Donovan was not going to entertain the offer until after the conclusion of the 2025-26 NBA season. With things moving incredibly fast in the college basketball world, this undoubtedly put the Tar Heels in a difficult position. The transfer window opens this week, meaning UNC would have missed out on pivotal recruiting time without having a head coach in-house.

Still, the Malone hire came out of nowhere, and the firing of Karnisovas and Eversley opens up an entirely new can of worms in Chicago. What does it all mean for Donovan?

Is Billy Donovan Now Sticking with the Chicago Bulls?

Mar 28, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan talks with guard Josh Giddey (3) during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It's long been known that Billy Donovan is respected heavily inside the Chicago Bulls organization. Marc Stein of The Stein Line even reiterated as much on Sunday, sharing that the Bulls hoped to keep Donovan in town regardless of where conversations ended up with Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley.

The messaging has been the same in the wake of both major stories. Shams Charania reported it on ESPN, as did Jake Fischer for The Stein Line. K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network also went on to stress how much ownership values Donovan's input. Heck, with this in mind, it sure feels like Donovan's happiness could have played a role in the decision to move on from the current regime.

Whether or not that means he sticks around, however, remains to be seen. There is no question that the dismissal of Karnisovas and Eversley makes it more likely he stays, but in what role? Many have speculated that Chicago could try to make the "Brad Stevens" offer to Donovan, allowing him to take over basketball operations. However, we haven't necessarily been given a legitimate reason to believe that is what he wants to do. Not to mention, would that really be the wisest decision for a franchise so stuck in the mud? The Bulls may be better off going with an experienced hire.

As for retaining him as head coach, this would be a bizarre move amid the hiring process. As respected as Donovan may be, it doesn't feel like good business to immediately handcuff a new front office hire. Who sits in the head coach chair should ultimately be their decision.

None of this means there is zero world where Donovan can be a worthwhile part of the franchise's future. But the Bulls have to be careful here. The next handful of months will present them with an opportunity to finally put the team on the right track. If it no longer makes sense for Donovan to be in the mix, they have to be willing to come to terms with that. You don't want to force a square peg in a round hole.

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