The Chicago Bulls could announce their next head coach as soon as Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein wrote, naming Atlanta assistant Ryan Schmidt, Minnesota assistant Micah Nori, Portland interim Tiago Splitter and Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. as finalists.
Stein wrote the hire "could be announced as soon as Monday," a timeline that makes the search immediate and places pressure on Chicago to finish its meetings quickly.
The finalist list covers a mix of internal continuity and outside candidates. Ryan Schmidt has been an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks for the last two seasons and was previously the head coach of Atlanta's G League affiliate, where he posted a 17-17 record. Micah Nori has been with the Minnesota Timberwolves since 2021 and earlier served as an assistant in Toronto, Sacramento, Denver and Detroit.
Wes Unseld Jr. is already on Billy Donovan's staff in Chicago; he also has prior head-coaching experience that did not yield a turnaround in Washington. Splitter stepped in in Portland after Chauncey Billups' exit early in the season and guided the Trail Blazers back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
That Portland turnaround is the clearest credential on the list. Splitter's elevation from interim to playoff coach gives him a résumé entry some contenders lack: immediate, demonstrable results in-season. At the same time, his presence among finalists poses the central complication in this search — Splitter is being considered for the Bulls job while still in the middle of a successful first season leading Portland.
The Bulls have been searching for a replacement for Billy Donovan. That context explains why both internal figures tied to Donovan's staff and outside assistants with developmental résumés are under consideration. Chicago's choice will signal whether the organization prizes continuity inside Donovan's system or a fresh voice who has shown the ability to change course quickly.
Practical differences between the finalists are straightforward. Schmidt brings two recent seasons on an NBA staff and a.500 record running Atlanta's G League club. Nori arrives with continuity from Minnesota and a long assistant track through multiple franchises. Unseld offers immediate institutional familiarity with Chicago and the staff that succeeded Donovan. Splitter brings in-season head-coaching experience and a playoff berth that reversed Portland's recent fortunes.
The unresolved question is concrete: which of those profiles will Chicago prefer? The timing makes the question urgent. With Stein's window — "could be announced as soon as Monday" — the Bulls appear ready to move from search to hire without a long public delay, leaving finalists and their current teams with little runway to prepare for a transition.
If Chicago announces on Monday, the immediate consequence will be rapid follow-up decisions for both the incoming coach and the teams that currently employ the finalists. For Portland, Splitter's status in the playoffs introduces an awkward choice for the Trail Blazers if he is hired away mid-postseason; for Chicago, the hire will set the direction for the roster coming out of Donovan's tenure.
The single most consequential unanswered fact remains which finalist will get the call. The Bulls have narrowed the field to four distinct profiles; the decision expected as soon as Monday will resolve that choice and reveal whether Chicago values internal continuity, developmental pedigree, or a midseason proven changer in Tiago Splitter.
