The Chicago Bulls are back in the news cycle during the NBA Playoffs, but not for the reasons fans were hoping. It’s not about a first-round sweep or a deep run. Instead, the conversation is happening from the outside looking in, because they couldn’t even get there.
With yesterday’s news of Billy Donovan stepping away, the Bulls now face some major decisions about what comes next. And in a year that was supposed to help reshape the franchise through the draft, there’s already chatter: is the 2026 NBA Draft weaker than expected?
Let’s talk Bulls basketball.
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Yesterday, after the news of the Bulls and Billy Donovan parting ways, before most people spoke about what they should do next, they spent time reacting to news instead. ESPN’s First Take had some harsh, but maybe true things to say about all the decisions made in the AKME era.“[Billy Donovan] should’ve been sprinting from that organization,” said Kendrick Perkins, “The Chicago Bulls have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA… We got to start holding them to the same level we hold the Boston Celtics to, the Los Angeles Lakers to. It’s about championships.”
Michael Wilbon, born and raised in Chicago, also added to that sentiment:“When I was a kid, the Bulls were relevant. They didn’t win… but they were never irrelevant… They should’ve been looking at this rebuild 3,4,5 years earlier… Lately, it has just been despair and they are irrelevant as any big market team in sports.”
Billy Donovan steps down as the Chicago Bulls' head coach, and this is what the crew had to say…"They are as irrelevant as any big-market team in sports." —@RealMikeWilbon"He should have been sprinting out of that organization." —@KendrickPerkins "They have just been… pic.twitter.com/3x69JGEWAj
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 21, 2026 Now, whilst most of their criticism was about the Bulls as whole, very little had to directly do with Billy Donovan. Someone who did genuinely react to him leaving, was Matas Buzelis. He adored Billy as his head coach, and even pleaded his case to keep him around despite what the signs were pointing to. When the news broke that Billy Donovan was leaving, Matas Buzelis posted a photo of the two of them in his Instagram story, something that felt a bit more personal than just a reaction. You can imagine there was probably a real conversation behind the scenes too. Unfortunately, that’s just the business of the NBA. It’s rare for a player to have the same head coach for years, and it’s something Matas is already learning early in his career. Speaking of coaching hires, you know one of the best places to look? The NBA Playoffs. Half these teams won’t make it out of the first round, and that usually leads to some head coaches being shown the door. Names like Mike Brown, Jamahl Mosley, Ime Udoka, and Tiago Splitter could all find themselves on the market this offseason. The Chicago Bulls might end up doing a little dumpster diving from that group to find their next head coach, and if it were up to me, I’d take a swing on Splitter. But on the flip side, what if the Bulls go in a completely different direction and hire someone with no prior head coaching experience? It sounds a little crazy, but it’s actually working around the league right now. Look at J. J. Redick, two straight 50+ win seasons to start his coaching career, and up 2-0 in a series where his team wasn’t even favored and is shorthanded. We’ve seen this story before too with Steve Kerr, whose first coaching job led to a dynasty with the Golden State Warriors. I’m not saying I have the exact name for Chicago, but maybe this is one of those moments where you don’t limit the search to the obvious choices.Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter said he's "just trying to be a pro" and focus on the team's first playoff appearance in five years, despite reports that new owner Tom Dundon is talking to outside candidates to replace him, per @ramonashelburne.Splitter was given a… pic.twitter.com/vhERekdykx
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 22, 2026 Also around the NBA, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was just named the 2025–26 NBA Clutch Player of the Year. He led the league with 175 total clutch points and averaged 6.5 points per game in clutch time, making him the clear favorite for the award. This is still a relatively new award, and it hasn’t quite reached the level of the league’s major trophies just yet. But the NBA has started grouping it alongside those honors, and you’re hearing it pop up more in sports commentary. So maybe, sooner rather than later, this is an award that actually carries real weight over the course of a season.Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year, earning the Jerry West Trophy. pic.twitter.com/G0gVTqCgae
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 21, 2026 And finally, an update on something I touched on recently, the thinning of the 2026 NBA Draft class. We already saw projected picks like Braylon Mullins, Cayden Boozer, Alex Condon, and Tahaad Pettiford decide to return to college instead of declaring. But now, even more projected first-round talent is following that same path. Projected lottery pick Thomas Haugh, along with projected first-rounders Patrick Ngongba II and Tounde Yessoufou, have also announced they’ll be heading back to school for the 2026–27 season. At this point, that’s close to 10 names, out of a potential 60, pulling themselves off the draft board. We’ve already talked about some of the reasons why, but it’s still kind of wild to watch this many guys pass on the NBA. I get it, but it’s definitely surprising for someone who was looking forward to seeing what the Chicago Bulls could do with four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. 2026 NBA Draft: Top Prospects Going Back to School, the “Deep” Draft Class is Getting ThinMORE BULLS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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