Putting pen to paper finally happened Tuesday, and — just like that — the Bulls officially had the 25th head coach in their history.
Sorry, Trail Blazers.
It felt as though Tiago Splitter, 41, was going to lose his ‘‘interim’’ tag and stay with the Blazers after their season ended in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. But bizarre financial decisions from their ownership group and the lack of a solid commitment opened the door for the Bulls to steal him.
They did, and Splitter will have his introductory news conference Wednesday.
‘‘We are excited to welcome Tiago to the Chicago Bulls,’’ executive vice president of basketball operations Bryson Graham said in a statement. ‘‘Throughout our process, Tiago stood apart for his basketball intellect, his ability to connect with and develop players and the way his teams compete every single night. He has won at every level of the game as both a player and a coach, on multiple continents, and we believe his vision is the right fit for our young roster.’’
Few NBA coaches were as battle-tested from their first day on the job.
An NBA champion as a player with the Spurs, Splitter began his NBA coaching career in 2019 as an assistant with the Nets. He became more of a household name early in the 2025-26 season, however, when he jumped from Blazers assistant to interim head coach, inheriting a mess in the wake of Chauncey Billups being arrested in connection with an illegal gambling investigation.
That’s when Splitter was able to show off his coaching chops, refocusing the Blazers and getting them into the postseason with a 42-40 record by beating the Suns in the play-in game. Along the way, he helped forward Deni Avdija become a first-time All-Star and former No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson somewhat resurrect his young career. He also instilled a defensive identity.
All were attractive attributes for the Bulls.
‘‘I want to thank [chairman] Jerry [and COO] Michael [Reinsdorf], Bryson and the entire Chicago Bulls organization for the opportunity to lead this historic franchise,’’ Splitter said in a statement. ‘‘The Bulls represent everything I love about this game, carrying a proud tradition, a passionate city and a young, hungry group of players ready to grow. I’m grateful for the trust this organization has placed in me, and I can’t wait to get to work in Chicago.’’
He might want to have his hard hat handy because he’s walking into a construction zone.
The Bulls have only eight players with guaranteed contracts for the coming season, have two first-round picks (No. 4 and No. 15) in the draft next week and have the most salary-cap room this summer. That means they’ll need a lot of development.
That’s not a concern, however, for Graham or the Bulls because of what Splitter showed with the Blazers and because of what he did as a player in his seven-year NBA career.
The 6-11 center wasn’t dominant statistically, but he showed off a high IQ in his five seasons with the Spurs, coming off the bench and helping them win the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 2014. He averaged 7.9 points, five rebounds and 1.2 assists in his career.
And while the Bulls’ monthlong search to replace Billy Donovan came down to a final four of Splitter, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Hawks assistant Ryan Schmidt and in-house candidate Wes Unseld Jr., it was Splitter who checked all the boxes they were looking for.