VP of Basketball Operations Bryson Graham promised the Chicago Bulls coaching search would be thorough and he’s kept his word. The team is approaching a dozen total candidates they’ve spoken to or will soon speak to, and more names keep being added every day. All of them have proven logical choices. They’re experienced assistants who, for the most part, are working for successful organizations. However, things took an unusual turn when Jamal Collier of ESPN revealed that Kevin Young was joining the list.
Young is the current head coach for the BYU Cougars. He has held the job for two years, going a combined 49-22 and making two NCAA tournament appearances. Before that, he had extensive experience as a head coach in the G League with the Utah Flash, Iowa Energy, and Delaware 87ers. He soon made stops in Philadelphia and Phoenix as an assistant before landing the job at BYU. Though experienced to a degree, his accomplishments don’t stack up compared to those of other candidates. This begs the question.
Why would the Bulls even bother meeting him?
This Kevin Young interest reeks of A.J. Dybantsa.
The fact that Chicago wants to meet with the head coach of a player who many consider the #1 prospect in the 2026 NBA draft can’t be a coincidence. Dybantsa is the heavy favorite to go first overall next month, whether to the Washington Wizards or to someone who trades for the pick. Let’s not forget that the Bulls were recently rumored to have made exploratory calls to D.C. about the idea. Now this Kevin Young news pops up barely a week later? All of it screams that Graham and his front office have significant interest in Dybantsa.
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It isn’t surprising when you connect the dots. Graham has made it clear he wants great athletes with length, size, and physicality. Dybantsa checks all of those boxes. He is a dynamic scorer who can shoot, finish at the rim, draw fouls, and isn’t afraid to attack. His defense is raw, but the effort is there. This is the prototype of what Graham seeks in a foundational player. Of course, he’d want to try landing him. The tricky part is convincing Washington to make a trade, and then convincing Dybantsa that Chicago is a great place to play.
What better way to show him that than by hiring his college coach to run the show?
This isn’t a new strategy for the Bulls.
In 1998-1999, they hired Iowa State head coach Tim Floyd to take over the head coaching job. Two years later, they hatched a ploy to land Cyclones forward Marcus Fizer, who they wanted to run Floyd’s exact college system. They almost did it again in 2004 when they aimed to draft Duke standout Luol Deng. The Bulls offered Chicago-native Mike Krzyzewski a massive contract to join his player in the NBA. Krzyzewski turned it down. Either way, it’s plain evidence that this franchise isn’t afraid of such a strategy.
Kevin Young is a viable coaching candidate. None of this is to say he isn’t. It just feels like a sharp left turn from how the search has gone so far. The most logical deduction is that they may have a path to land Dybantsa and want somebody who knows the player and the right developmental path for him. Is that reading too much into the situation? Maybe, but you can’t deny the coincidences are a little too numerous. It will be interesting to hear how that interview goes.
