Bryson Graham’s expectations for the Bulls’ next head coach felt more like a pipe dream than a realistic job description when he shared them last month, not long after becoming the new executive vice president of basketball operations. But he’s not a guy looking to take shortcuts.
Fitting, because Tiago Splitter is also a no-shortcut guy, and now he’s close to finalizing a deal to be the organization’s 25th head coach, replacing Billy Donovan, who stepped away in April after six seasons.
“We’re looking for someone who is smart, we’re looking for someone that can lead and someone that has a really high character,” Graham said in May. “We also want someone who, when I say smart, they’re good on both sides of the ball. A lot of times now, you have coaches that lean towards offense and they lean towards defense, and that’s fine. But we’re going to try and find the coach that can coach both sides of the ball and care about both sides of the ball, and then develop [our players], as they are obviously young in their careers.”
Splitter, 41, now has experience as an NBA head coach, and has been an impressive one at that, with a 42–40 record and a playoff appearance since becoming the Trail Blazers’ interim coach in October. Taking on obstacles and tests that most coaches never have to face at any level checked many of Graham’s boxes.
Splitter, who became an assistant for the Nets in 2019, eventually working his way to Portland in 2025, is a former NBA champion as a forward/center for the Spurs. But he’s now known more for what he did after inheriting a mess in the wake of former Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups’ arrest in connection with an investigation into illegal gambling. Rather than make excuses and allow his young team to fold, Splitter refocused the group to get into the Western Conference play-in, where they beat the Suns to become a playoff team. He also helped forward Deni Avdija become a first-time All-Star and led guard Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 overall pick in 2023, to something of a career resurrection.
The Trail Blazers were flirting with keeping the Brazil-born Splitter, but a source told the Sun-Times last week that they’d also made offers to other coaches.
Their loss is now the Bulls’ gain — and at just the right time, in Graham’s estimation. With the Nos. 4 and 15 picks in the draft later this month and a loaded class to choose from, the Bulls are set to get an infusion of new talent at the same time they have the most salary-cap money to spend this offseason if they choose to add talent that way.
Graham is expected to draft the best player available with each of his picks but has emphasized the Bulls want to get back to a strong defensive mindset.
“When you compete on the defensive end of the floor, your team typically competes harder,” he said.
Guess who coached the Blazers to be tougher on defense and more physical this past season. In Splitter’s last 51 regular-season games, the Blazers were 30-21 and in the top 10 in the NBA defensively.
In terms of other candidates considered, the Bulls went from casting a wide net to curating a final four that also included Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori, Hawks assistant coach Ryan Schmidt and in-house candidate Wes Unseld Jr. Nori is still up for the NBA’s two remaining head-coaching vacancies in Portland and Dallas.
According to a source, Unseld likely will be asked to remain on the Bulls’ staff as a lead assistant, helping Splitter during the transition, but the decision would be Unseld’s to make.