Blazers Must Pivot After Bulls Hire Tiago Splitter

Tiago Splitter was one of the candidates for the Portland Trail Blazers head coaching job, but he is officially moving on.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Tiago Splitter during the second half of game two. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are going to have a new head coach next season after Tiago Splitter was hired by the Chicago Bulls.

ESPN insider Shams Charania was the first to report the news of Splitter's hiring.

"BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are finalizing the hire of Portland Trail Blazers interim Tiago Splitter as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Splitter succeeds Billy Donovan as the Bulls' coach after stepping into the head job and excelling in Portland last season," Charania tweeted.

BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are finalizing the hire of Portland Trail Blazers interim Tiago Splitter as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Splitter succeeds Billy Donovan as the Bulls' coach after stepping into the head job and excelling in Portland last season. pic.twitter.com/m8e91FrvXC

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2026

Tiago Splitter Leaving Blazers For Bulls

The Bulls and Billy Donovan parted ways at the end of the season, opening the door for Splitter to join the team. Splitter was the interim head coach for the Blazers and led them to a 41-40 record in the regular season, which led them to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Splitter was viewed as a finalist for the Blazers vacancy, but it was ultimately decided that they weren't ready to commit to him long term.

Considering the timing of the move, it isn't much of a surprise to see the Blazers lose out on Splitter. If Portland was really wanting Splitter to come back, they would have agreed to a new contract with him by now. Chicago was keen on Splitter from the start of their head coaching search, so the fact that he is moving on to Chicago is understandable.

Who Could Blazers Hire to Replace Tiago Splitter?

With Splitter off the market and in Chicago, the Blazers will have to look outside the organization for their next head coach.

People they have interviewed so far are Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams, who has been with the Blazers earlier in his career since 2018 and Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook, who has also had a formal interview with the team.

The Blazers could also target long-time assistant head coach Jerry Stackhouse, who was a two-time All-Star during his playing career. Established assistants like Micah Norrie of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jeff Van Gundy of the Los Angeles Clippers are also potential options for the team

The Blazers don't have a pick in this year's NBA draft, so they might take their time when it comes to making their decision. Only the Blazers and Dallas Mavericks are left without a head coach, so they can take their time knowing there isn't much competition for their pool of candidates.