The Chicago Bulls finally got the green light to chase the candidate they have been waiting on.
Cleveland’s playoff run ended this week when the Knicks swept the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, which means Cavs associate head coach Johnnie Bryant is now available to talk to other teams. The Bulls were first in line. Cleveland granted Chicago permission to interview Bryant for the Bulls’ head coaching vacancy, per Marc Spears of Andscape.
The Bulls have been patient. Spears reported that Chicago has been waiting for the Cavs’ season to end specifically to get a sit-down with Bryant. That is a strong signal that he is the front-runner, or at least near the top of the list.
Bryant is 40 years old. He has been an NBA assistant for 12 years. The former Utah Utes guard started his pro coaching career with the Utah Jazz from 2014 to 2020, then took the associate head coach role with the Knicks under Tom Thibodeau in 2020. He moved to Cleveland in 2024 when Kenny Atkinson got the head job there.
That resume hits all the buttons. Player development chops from Utah. Big market experience from New York. Playoff experience from both the Knicks and Cavs. Connections across the league. He has been considered for head jobs before, most notably last year when he was a finalist for the Phoenix Suns gig that ultimately went to Jordan Ott.
Bryant interviewing with the Bulls makes too much sense. Chicago needs a young, modern coach who can grow with the roster. The Bulls are mid-rebuild. They need someone who can develop Matas Buzelis, get the most out of Coby White, and figure out what to do with Josh Giddey going forward. Billy Donovan was not the guy for that. Donovan stepped down last month after six largely uninspiring seasons.
The Bulls have cast a wide net. They reportedly have interest in Jerry Stackhouse, the former All-Star who has been on multiple staffs. They have done their due diligence on every reasonable candidate. But Bryant has the kind of pedigree that makes front offices comfortable. He is not a sexy hire, but he is a smart one.
The bigger question is whether Bryant takes the job if offered. Chicago is not a glamour destination right now. The roster is messy. The ownership situation under the Reinsdorf family has been criticized for years. The Bulls have not won a playoff series since the original Derrick Rose era.
But head coaching jobs are rare. Bryant has been waiting his turn for over a decade. He almost certainly takes this if Chicago makes a real offer.
The interview process should move quickly now. The Bulls have already done preliminary work on multiple candidates. With Bryant available, an offer could come within the next two weeks. The expectation around the league is that Chicago wants to have a head coach in place well before the draft on June 25.
If Bryant gets it, he becomes the next chapter for a franchise that desperately needs one. If he goes elsewhere, the Bulls have a backup plan in Stackhouse and others. Either way, the Donovan era is officially over, and Chicago is ready to move forward.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
