The Chicago Bulls have maintained a steady pace in their search for a new Vice President of Basketball Operations. They’ve been meeting with multiple candidates for interviews, going through a far more detailed process than the one that landed Arturas Karnisovas in 2020. However, with the NBA draft lottery right around the corner, it seems likely they are nearing a decision. While Boston Celtics assistant GM Dave Lewin feels like a popular option among fans, a favorite has emerged.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager Matt Lloyd is now the leader in the clubhouse to receive the job.
“A source told the Sun-Times that although there was no clear-cut favorite for the job as of last Monday, Lloyd has taken the lead and could be named to the position in the next several days. That makes sense considering his long stint with the Bulls under former basketball operations chief John Paxson, who remains with the organization as an adviser and is said to be a strong Lloyd supporter.”
This should not be a surprise to anybody. The Reinsdorfs have a long history of preferring in-house candidates whenever they change positions of power in their organizations. Chris Getz, Rick Hahn, Kenny Williams, John Paxson, Gar Forman, Ozzie Guillen, Bill Cartwright, and Phil Jackson are many examples. Lloyd came up in the Bulls’ scouting department, playing a key role in building the Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler teams that had so much success. His reputation as a talent evaluator and relationship with Paxson gave him the inside track from the start.
Lloyd also had an ace in his pocket for the Chicago Bulls.
Aside from being part of a successful franchise at the moment, the emerging executive also has something the other candidates don’t. That is a lead on a head coach. Cowley revealed that if hired, Lloyd plans to bring Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori with him to take over the team in place of the departed Billy Donovan.
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“According to a source with the Timberwolves, if he gets the Bulls job, he undoubtedly would make Micah Nori the new head coach, replacing Billy Donovan, who resigned April 21 after six seasons. Nori has been the Timberwolves’ lead assistant since 2021, was voted top assistant coach by NBA general managers the last two seasons and is considered a top defensive strategist in the league.”
Nori has been a prominent candidate for head coaching jobs over the past couple of years. Both the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks showed serious interest in him before going with other choices. He’s worked under some excellent coaches, including eventual NBA champion Michael Malone and the highly decorated Chris Finch.
Minnesota is 7th in defensive rating this season and was 1st in the NBA last year. The Chicago Bulls have had one of the worst defenses in the league for most of the past decade. It would make sense the Reinsdorfs want to change that, getting back to what made the team successful under Tom Thibodeau.
| Season | Defensive Rating (DRtg) | NBA League Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 118.1 | 30th |
| 2024-25 | 115.6 | 22nd |
| 2023-24 | 116.3 | 23rd |
| 2022-23 | 112.2 | 5th |
| 2021-22 | 113.6 | 20th |
| 2020-21 | 111.5 | 13th |
| 2019-20 | 108.9 | 11th |
| 2018-19 | 113.2 | 25th |
| 2017-18 | 110.1 | 26th |
It was always trending this way, for better or worse.
Was Lloyd the best candidate available? That is up for debate. There are a few working for teams that recently won a championship who have a strong argument. Lloyd can make no such boast. Still, he at least has credibility in the one area that has been killing the Bulls for years. He can scout. Under his direction, it would be reasonable to assume the team would become far more adept at drafting players. Having two 1st round picks this year is a great way to kickstart that process.
The big unknown is whether he has the necessary vision and leadership to build a champion. That is something most executives don’t bring to the table. Perhaps it was for the best that Lloyd left the organization. Getting that outside experience with other teams gave him a priceless education on different ways the process can be done. He can then apply those lessons to reshaping the Bulls into the Eastern Conference stalwart they should always be. The Reinsdorfs had better be sure about this.
