New UNC Rumors Reveal Impact of CBB Transfer Portal on Michael Malone Hire Amid Billy Donovan Buzz

The college basketball transfer portal reportedly had quite the impact on North Carolina's decision to hire Michael Malone as its next men's basketball coach.

After ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the Tar Heels hired Malone on Monday to replace Hubert Davis, Brendan Marks of The Athletic reported Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan's candidacy was not as enticing for the ACC program because of the looming transfer portal.

North Carolina "felt it could not wait for Donovan from a timing perspective" because he wanted to finish the season with the Bulls, which runs five days after the transfer portal opens.

"That delay would've put UNC at a significant disadvantage in building next year's roster, especially without a firm commitment from Donovan that he would take the job," Marks wrote.

Malone was still somewhat of a surprising hire considering he has never been a head coach at the college level and was last involved in NCAA basketball as an assistant at Manhattan in 2001. Still, he is a headline name from his time as the head coach of the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings, and his tenure with Denver included the 2023 title.

Marks also reported Arizona's Tommy Lloyd and Michigan's Dusty May dropped out of consideration, leaving North Carolina with fewer notable college candidates.

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There is no doubting Malone's prowess as a basketball strategist, but he will have to figure out how to navigate the transfer portal and recruiting if he is going to find success at North Carolina. And the bar is quite high for the Tar Heels as one of the most notable programs in the sport who expects to compete for deep March Madness runs every season.

Davis led North Carolina to the national championship game in his first season in 2021-22, but the team made it past the first round just once since that run. His final game was a blown 19-point lead against VCU in the tournament, which ended an inconsistent season.

Malone's ability to attack the transfer portal will go a long way toward helping the Tar Heels bounce back, and that is something Donovan would not have been able to do as effectively if he remained with the Bulls through the season.