New Bulls Rumors on Billy Donovan's Job Security, Search for New Lead Exec After Firings

The Chicago Bulls are ready to give Billy Donovan a strong voice in their search for a new lead executive if he decides to remain as head coach.

Per NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Bulls "want to keep" Donovan as their head coach and he would be "likely" to help lead the search for a new front office executive:

"The early word out of Chicago, lastly, is that the Bulls not only want to keep Billy Donovan in place as their coach but also that Donovan is likely to have a strong voice in the Bulls' search for a new lead executive to run their front office. I learned this week that the Bulls have selected TurnkeyZRG as the search firm to navigate their executive hiring process."

The Bulls got an early start on cleaning house by firing executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6, six days before the end of the regular season.

During an April 8 video conference discussing those moves, Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf told reporters that he wants Donovan to remain as head coach.

It's now just a question of if Donovan, who signed a multiyear extension in July, wants to keep the job.

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times noted Donovan was viewed as almost certain to leave prior to Karnišovas and Eversley's dismissal, but now it is considered essentially a coin flip leaning slightly toward him staying.

Donovan was rumored to be a top target for North Carolina after Hubert Davis' firing, but he didn't want to entertain any offers until after the NBA season ended.

The Tar Heels wound up hiring former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone.

Donovan just wrapped up his sixth season in Chicago. He has a 226-256 record with one playoff appearance as Bulls head coach. They have finished with a sub-.500 record in each of the past four seasons.