CAA’s Austin Brown Won’t Pursue Bulls’ Front Office Job
Austin Brown, the co-head of CAA’s basketball division, was repeatedly cited as a possible target for the Bulls after they dismissed front office executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley earlier this month, with Shams Charania of ESPN confirming on Monday that Chicago hoped to meet with Brown about the team’s vacancy at the top of its basketball operations department.
However, according to Charania (Twitter link), the Bulls have been informed that Brown won’t be pursuing the job.
Brown has one of the most impressive client rosters of any NBA agent, with RealGM listing Donovan Mitchell, Cooper Flagg, Jaren Jackson Jr., Trae Young, Myles Turner, Andrew Wiggins, OG Anunoby, Nic Claxton, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker among the players he represents.
It’s not unprecedented for an agent to transition to a front office role. Former Warriors general manager Bob Myers and current top executives Rob Pelinka (Lakers) and Leon Rose (Knicks) are a few of the most notable executives who have made that transition. It’s unclear whether Brown isn’t looking to take that route at this time or if he’s just not interested in the Bulls’ job specifically.
Either way, the Bulls have no shortage of alternatives as they search for a new lead basketball executive. Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd has been identified as a frontrunner, but the team has also been linked to Dennis Lindsey, Bryson Graham, Mike Gansey, and Dave Telep, among others.
According to Charania, Bulls officials began their first round of meetings with potential candidates on Monday.
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Lloyd, Mazzulla, Tatum, More
Among the known candidates for the Bulls‘ open head of basketball operations job, Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd is the “obvious frontrunner,” reports Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required).
Lloyd has been a “top target” for the Bulls since they began their front office search, according to Poe, who writes that the veteran executive “cares deeply about the process of evaluating, acquiring and developing talent.” That should make him an obvious fit for a Chicago team that seems to be embarking on a rebuild, Poe adds.
Outside of his strengths as a front office executive, Lloyd – who grew up in the Chicago suburbs – is a match for the Bulls due to his existing connection to the franchise and the city. He worked for the organization beginning in 1994 as a game-day and special projects employee in the team’s video room and was later hired to work in the media relations department. Eventually, he made the move to the Bulls’ front office, where he was eventually promoted to the role of director of college scouting before leaving for a job in Orlando in 2012.
While the Reinsdorfs have vowed to cast a wider net in their search for a top basketball executive this time around, they have a history of not straying too far from what they know, Poe observes.
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- A Coach of the Year finalist, Joe Mazzulla has made it clear he believes it’s a “stupid award,” but the Celtics‘ head coach wouldn’t oppose an alternative that honors more than one person on a team’s staff. “I would like to see that changed to staff or organization, for sure. I think those things are important,” Mazzulla said, per Jay King of The Athletic. “If it was Staff of the Year, it’s different, (or) if it’s Organization of the Year. But at the end of the day, I haven’t made one basket all year. Our staff hasn’t made a basket. We haven’t got a block. We haven’t ran back on defense. We didn’t play a back-to-back. We didn’t have to play hurt. We haven’t really done s–t. So if you don’t have the guys you know to be able to put you in position, it doesn’t really matter.”
- Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored 25 points in the team’s Game 1 blowout of Philadelphia on Sunday, but he admitted after that win that he’s “still rehabbing” from the Achilles tear that sidelined him until March 6. Tuesday’s Game 2 loss provided a reminder of that, writes Steve Buckley of The Athletic. Although Tatum nearly had a triple-double (19 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists), he made just 8-of-19 shots from the field and has now hit only 3-of-15 three-pointers in the series.
- Signing head coach Jordi Fernandez to a contract extension increasing the pressure on general manager Sean Marks in Brooklyn, according to C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). As Holmes outlines, the extension suggests that Marks believes the Nets have the right coaching staff in place, which means he now needs to get Fernandez the right players to lead the team back to the playoffs.
- With Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley and Raptors forward Scottie Barnes squaring off in the first round of the playoffs, Eric Koreen of The Athletic takes a look at how both players have progressed since being drafted back-to-back in 2021, noting that Mobley and Barnes have shown they’re capable of being foundational players on good teams, though it remains to be seen whether either one is headed for superstardom.
Bulls’ Dillingham Undergoes Wrist Procedure
Bulls guard Rob Dillingham has undergone a minor surgery to remove a ganglion cyst from his right wrist, the team announced on Wednesday in a press release.
According to the Mayo Clinic, ganglion cysts are lumps filled with a “jellylike” fluid that most frequently show up on hands or wrists. They’re non-cancerous and are generally harmless, but can affect joint movement and can cause pain if they press on a nerve.
It’s unclear whether Dillingham’s play was meaningfully impacted by his cyst during the 2025/26 season, but the fact that it needed to be addressed surgically suggests it may have been bothering him.
The eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, Dillingham was unable to carve out a consistent role in the Timberwolves’ backcourt. After spending a season-and-a-half in Minnesota, the 21-year-old was traded to Chicago at this season’s deadline as part of the Wolves’ package for Ayo Dosunmu.
Dillingham appeared in 30 games off the bench for the Bulls after that trade, averaging 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 21.5 minutes per contest and shooting 42.8% from the floor, including just 30.0% on three-pointers.
Entering the third year of his rookie scale contract this July, Dillingham will earn a guaranteed salary of roughly $6.89MM in 2026/27. The Bulls will have until October 31 to decide whether or not to exercise his $8.76MM team option for ’27/28. If that option is picked up, he’d be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2027 offseason and, potentially, restricted free agency in 2028.
Central Notes: Duren, Rivers, Donovan, Bulls
Jalen Duren has carefully studied the replay of the Pistons’ Game 1 loss to No. 8 seed Orlando. Duren has taken heavy criticism for only contributing eight points on four shot attempts and seven rebounds in the 112-101 defeat.
“For me, just being more aggressive, finding my spots and attacking more; I think I could have done a better job of that,” Duren said after Tuesday’s practice, per Coty Davis of the Detroit News. “I just spent time watching the film over, and, over, and over again, seeing where I wasn’t most effective at and just trying to capitalize on that next game.”
The All-Star center acknowledged that the Magic had an effective strategy to neutralize him. The Pistons will have to develop some counters for Game 2 on Wednesday.
“They just had a good game plan, packing the paint. Anytime I had catches deep, they collapsed on me,” Duren said. “They were coming from everywhere. I did not get as many shot attempts (four) as I should have. There were times when I did catch myself one-on-one, and I’ve seen those moments before, and I want to get more of those opportunities. But for the most part, they were collapsing from anywhere.”
Here’s more from the Central Division:
- Doc Rivers’ stint with the Bucks is over and he insists it was “100%” his decision and not management’s edict. “It wasn’t a hard decision. It’s probably on your mind your last couple years,” Rivers said to Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “It had nothing to do with the season or anything like that. There’s times where you feel like you’ve had your run. I still love it. I still love coaching. But I don’t ever want my job to become work. I guess that is the best way of saying that. It’s more of a labor of love. So, I just felt like it was time. It was not like some lightning strike or something like that. I told ownership that a while ago.” Rivers will still receive his full salary for 2026/27, Spears notes.
- The Bulls are also seeking a new coach after parting ways with Billy Donovan on Tuesday. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania (video link), Donovan was offered the opportunity to not only remain as Chicago’s coach but also a front office job as an alternative. He chose instead to walk away. “They offered him any amount of years that he wanted to stay as coach, any type of extension he wanted, even a high-ranking managerial role,” Charania said. “But Billy Donovan wanted to keep coaching and he actually had an option in his contract for next season and he decided to decline it and step down as head coach.”
- The Bulls currently hold the ninth and 15th overall picks in this year’s draft with hope of moving up from No. 9 during the draft lottery. The way it shakes out and the choices that they make will have a cascading effect on the roster, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. Players such as Anfernee Simons, Leonard Miller, Zach Collins and Nick Richards could be impacted by which rookies the Bulls select this June.
Billy Donovan Won’t Return As Bulls’ Head Coach
Billy Donovan is parting ways with the Bulls after spending the past six seasons as their head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. The team has put out a press release officially confirming the split.
It’s the second major organizational change of the spring for the Bulls, who fired executive VP of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley earlier this month. Following that front office shake-up, president and CEO Michael Reinsdorf expressed in strong terms that the team wanted to retain Donovan, but the veteran coach had an option on his contract and has decided to go in another direction.
As Charania details, Donovan discussed the situation at length with team ownership during the past week but ultimately determined that a “clean break” was the right outcome for both sides. Donovan confirmed as much in a formal statement relayed by the Bulls.
“After a series of thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership regarding the future of the organization, I have decided to step away as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls to allow the search process to unfold,” Donovan said. “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”
Reinsdorf and his father, Bulls controlling owner Jerry Reinsdorf, issued statements of their own within the team’s press release, expressing gratitude to Donovan for the work he has done with the franchise over the past six years.
The Bulls only made the playoffs once in those six seasons and didn’t advance beyond the first round during that brief postseason run. In total, Donovan compiled a 226-256 (.469) regular season record across six years, winning either 39 or 40 games and appearing in the play-in tournament for three straight seasons from 2022-25.
Chicago’s 31-51 record this season was the worst mark the team posted during Donovan’s tenure, and the team’s mini-fire sale at the deadline created the impression that the organization is more seriously committed to retooling its roster after spending several seasons mired in mediocrity. There had been doubt about whether Donovan, a Hall-of-Famer who will turn 61 next month, would want to stick it out with the Bulls through a rebuild.
While Donovan won’t be back on Chicago’s bench next season, he’s not prepared to retire. Sources tell Charania that Donovan intends to continue his coaching career and will be a “viable target” for NBA teams in the market for a new coach. Donovan drew interest from both NBA teams – including the Knicks a year ago – and college programs – most recently, UNC – while he was under contract with the Bulls.
The Bulls are one of three teams now looking to hire a new permanent head coach, joining the Bucks and the Pelicans. They’re also one of two clubs seeking a new head of basketball operations, along with the Mavericks.
In all likelihood, the Bulls will focus on completing their front office search first, since that would allow their new top basketball operations executive to have a hand in picking Donovan’s replacement.
Bulls Get Permission To Interview Five Front Office Candidates
The Bulls have received permission to interview several candidates in their search for a new head of basketball operations, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Charania reports that Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd, Pistons senior vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey, Hawks senior VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham, Cavaliers general manager Mike Gansey and Spurs assistant GM Dave Telep will make up the initial group. He adds that the Bulls also hope to talk with agent Austin Brown, the head of CAA’s basketball division.
Lloyd began his career with the Bulls in 1999 as a media coordinator and worked his way up to the scouting staff and then senior manager of basketball operations. He became assistant GM in Orlando in 2012 before joining Minnesota in 2022 as senior VP of basketball operations. He was promoted to GM two years ago.
Lindsey’s NBA career began in 1996, and he spent time with Utah, San Antonio and Dallas before joining the Pistons in 2024. He has been part of a remarkable rebuilding project that saw Detroit go from the league’s worst record to the East’s top seed in two years.
Graham spent 15 years with New Orleans, including one season as general manager, before moving to Atlanta last summer. He earned a reputation in the Pelicans’ front office for identifying young talent in the draft.
Gansey took over as general manager in Cleveland when Koby Altman was promoted to team president in 2022. He previously served as assistant GM and ran the Cavs’ G League affiliate.
Telep has 13 years of experience with San Antonio and formerly served as VP of basketball operations, director of player personnel and director of scouting. He was the senior national recruiting analyst for ESPN.com and a sideline reporter for ESPNU before joining the Spurs.
A Chicago native, Brown is one of the NBA’s top agents with a client list that includes Donovan Mitchell, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cooper Flagg, Trae Young and OG Anunoby. He has received offers for numerous front office roles, according to Charania, including the Bulls’ GM position in 2020.
Chicago launched a complete front office overhaul by firing executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley on April 6.
Fischer’s Latest: Horst, Bucks, Jenkins, Blazers, Bulls
The Bucks endured a disappointing and drama-filled season in 2025/26, going just 32-50 amid injuries to — and trade rumors involving — Giannis Antetokounmpo. Head coach Doc Rivers officially stepped down from his role on Monday and suggested in a subsequent podcast appearance that his NBA coaching days may be over.
Could general manager Jon Horst be the next key member of the organization on the move? According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), the early signs in Milwaukee indicate the answer to that question is no.
There had been speculation around the league about Horst’s job status, but his contract runs through 2027/28 and he has initiated contact with several agents as the Bucks commence their search for Rivers’ replacement, sources tell Fischer.
As Fischer writes, Horst hasn’t really spearheaded a coaching search since 2018, when the team hired Mike Budenholzer. Adrian Griffin, who went 30-13 in ’23/24 before being replaced by Rivers, was believed to be the favored choice of Antetokounmpo, while Rivers was hand-picked by ownership.
Fischer reiterates that ex-Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and Bucks top assistant Darvin Ham are among the candidates for the position, but Horst appears to be casting a wide net in his search, with several other names in play as well.
On the other end of the search, candidates for the job likely won’t have a great feel for what Milwaukee’s roster will look like next season until at least this summer, Fischer notes, since Antetokounmpo’s situation remains unresolved.
Here’s more from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:
- Jenkins, who was fired by Memphis near the end of the ’24/25 regular season, may be the “hottest name” on the coaching market, Fischer writes. There has been speculation the Wizards could be interested in Jenkins, but Washington’s front office recently said Brian Keefe is expected to remain in his role next season. Sources tell Fischer the Wizards want to give Keefe a chance to lead a team trying to win after Washington prioritized draft positioning in his first two-and-a-half years at the helm. The Magic are believed to be fans of Jenkins too, though the team still has Jamahl Mosley under contract.
- According to Fischer, part of the reason the Kings decided to retain Doug Christie is because Sacramento doesn’t project to be a playoff team next season and the former NBA guard has one year left on his contract. Given the current state of the team, paying two coaches doesn’t make much sense, Fischer writes.
- While Tiago Splitter has seemingly done as well as anyone could have hoped in Portland after Chauncey Billups was arrested and placed on leave as part of an illegal gambling probe, the Trail Blazers may be leaning in a different direction as they look to hire the first head coach under new majority owner Tom Dundon. According to Fischer, that’s not a reflection on Splitter’s performance as Portland’s interim replacement but rather Dundon’s reticence to pay the going rate for an NBA head coach. Fischer hears it has been “widely communicated” for weeks that Dundon is evidently looking to spend a maximum of $1.5MM per year on a new head coach, which is more in line with what top assistant coaches make. It’s also far less money than high-level college head coaches earn, Fischer continues, which is why some people believe an NBA assistant is more likely to accept the job unless a deal can be reached with Splitter. Fischer hears the Blazers have held exploratory talks with 20 college and international coaches about the position.
- The Bulls have hired the firm TurnkeyZRG to lead the search process for their new head of basketball operations, Fischer reports, but head coach Billy Donovan is also expected to have a “strong voice” in the search, assuming he stays in his current role. The Mavericks, meanwhile, decided not to use a search firm, with governor Patrick Dumont leading that process, Fischer adds.
Central Notes: Donovan, Bulls, Cavs, Bucks, Gores
Before the Bulls fired top executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley last week, it felt like there was a 90% chance that head coach Billy Donovan would be leaving the team, according to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who suggests that the former front office didn’t seem to have a plan that would make Donovan optimistic about the team’s future.
However, with Karnisovas and Eversley no longer in the picture, Donovan’s decision feels more like a coin flip, Cowley writes, speculating that there’s now a “49%” chance of the head coach departing.
Within his story, Cowley writes that Karnisovas’ and Eversley’s talent evaluation had long been considered questionable, dating back to the 2020 draft, when Karnisovas “fixated” on Patrick Williams with the No. 4 overall pick. According to one of Cowley’s sources, there were scouts and executives within the organization who preferred Tyrese Haliburton, but Karnisovas didn’t view the point guard as a “serious prospect.” Haliburton has since made two All-NBA teams and gotten within one win of a championship.
We have more from around the Central:
- In a separate story for the Chicago Sun-Times, Cowley considers a few potential targets for the Bulls with their newly secured second first-round pick, courtesy of Portland. Cowley identifies UConn’s Braylon Mullins, Michigan’s Aday Mara, and Kentucky’s Jayden Quaintance as prospects who Chicago may consider drafting using that pick, which will be either 15th or 16th overall.
- What’s at stake for the Cavaliers during this year’s playoffs? “Everything,” according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required), who believes that any number of organizational and roster changes could be on the table if Cleveland fails to advance to at least the conference finals this spring after spending more than any other team on its roster in 2025/26.
- Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required) poses some of the most pressing questions facing the Bucks this summer, including whether ownership wants to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo long-term, who will be the next head coach, and whether they can nail their first lottery pick since 2016.
- Pistons owner Tom Gores published a letter on Tuesday thanking fans for sticking with the team through a challenging rebuild that included five straight years between 14 and 23 wins, including a franchise-worst 14-68 mark in 2023/24. “What we’re building here is a story for the ages,” Gores wrote. “One of the great comeback stories in sports, and not just because of where we are today but because of how we got here.”
Blazers Clinch Playoff Spot; NBA Announces Full First-Round Schedule
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija scored 41 points on Tuesday as Portland held on to win a back-and-forth contest over the Suns by a score of 114-110. The victory clinched the Blazers’ first playoff berth since 2021, locking them into the No. 7 seed and lining up a first-round matchup against the No. 2 Spurs.
“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career so far,” Avdija said after the game, per David Brandt of The Associated Press.
Veteran point guard Jrue Holiday contributed 21 points for the Blazers, while forward Jerami Grant scored 16 points in 19 minutes off the bench in his first game back from a calf strain that sidelined him for the last seven games of the season. But it was Avdija who stole the show in Phoenix, shooting 15-of-22 from the field and handing out 12 assists to go along with his 41 points.
“I feel like he’s unique. Nobody does what he does,” Holiday said. “Deni coming out here, carrying us, especially down the stretch, getting that winning bucket and being able to go home knowing we’re playing San Antonio is something you love to see in Deni because this is what we expect from him now.”
The Suns will get a second chance on Friday to secure a playoff spot of their own by winning a play-in game in their home arena. They’ll host either the Clippers or Warriors, depending on the results of Wednesday’s contest, with Friday’s winner claiming the No. 8 seed and a first-round date with the defending champion Thunder.
The Bulls were the other big winner on Tuesday. As a result of Portland making the playoffs, the Trail Blazers’ top-14 protected first-round pick will now be sent to Chicago. That pick originally changed hands during the 2021 offseason and was supposed to be a 2022 selection, but had landed in its protected range for four straight years until now.
If the Suns win on Friday, that first-rounder will be 15th overall; if the Clippers or Warriors make it through to the No. 8 seed, it’ll drop to 16th. Either way, it’ll be a valuable asset for the rebuilding Bulls, whose own first-round pick will be ninth in the lottery standings.
Following the conclusion of the Blazers/Suns game, the NBA revealed the full schedule for all eight first-round series. Those schedules can be found right here. As usual, the first round is relatively drawn out — if any Game Sevens are necessary, they’ll take place on either May 2 or 3.
The conference semifinals are tentatively scheduled to begin on May 4, but could move up a day or two if certain series wrap up quickly.
Eastern Notes: Donovan, Okoro, Hornets, Whitmore, Sixers
As of Sunday night, Billy Donovan and the Bulls hadn’t scheduled their end-of-season meeting that will help determine whether he remains in his role as head coach, writes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required).
However, the expectation is that it will happen at some point this week and that Donovan won’t take long after the meeting to make a decision on his future, Poe adds. Bulls leaders, including CEO and president Michael Reinsdorf, have expressed strong interest in retaining Donovan after parting ways with top basketball operations executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley, and multiple players have also said they hope the veteran coach returns.
“We’re at this pivot point right now,” Donovan said on Sunday. “Everything has changed. So for me to have to sit down and have a conversation — that’s really what I want to do, just to find out where we’re all at on this and how we’re going to move forward.”
We have more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Bulls forward Isaac Okoro has another year left on his contract, but after being traded last summer, he knows there are no guarantees he’ll still be in Chicago for the start of the 2026/27 season, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Okoro said on Monday that he’ll “just control what I can control” and focus on improving as a player this offseason. “It’s the NBA, it’s the business, and I can be traded again somewhere,” he said. “I love being here and I love the culture we’re trying to build, so I just have to try and control what I can control. But I’ve gotten used to it. I’ve only been traded one time, but in Cleveland come every offseason I felt like I could have been traded.”
- In a pair of in-depth stories, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic take a closer look at the turnaround in Charlotte, where the Hornets have gone from being a perennial punching bag to an exciting young team on the rise. As Vorkunov details, besides bringing in new leaders – general manager Jeff Peterson and head coach Charles Lee – and compiling a promising young core of players, the Hornets have dramatically upgraded their organizational infrastructure under co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, hiring more than 60 new people, renovating their arena, and beginning construction on a new practice facility and team headquarters.
- Discussing the deep vein thrombosis that cut his third NBA season short, Wizards forward Cam Whitmore suggested on Monday that not being able to play basketball during the second half of 2025/26 was a secondary concern, given the serious nature of the issue. “That was a life-threatening (situation),” Whitmore said, per Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter link). “… I’m grateful just to be alive, to be honest. I’m grateful to talk to my family.”
- Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice and Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required) consider what the Sixers‘ rotation will look like during the play-in tournament this week, with Aaronson suggesting it won’t be a surprise if guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe both get to 40-plus minutes on Wednesday vs. Orlando.