NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls had a secret.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the organization signed Billy Donovan to a contract extension this offseason. How long that extension is remains unclear, but Charania did seem to imply that it includes multiple years tacked onto his original four-year contract.
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson confirmed the news shortly after Charania’s initial report:
All things considered, it’s not too shocking to hear the Bulls wanted to extend Donovan after a season where the organization ended its playoff drought and had its most wins since the 2014-15 campaign. But the fact the news is just coming out now is a head-scratcher. Not to mention, the fact this team is in the thick of an underwhelming 9-11 start probably isn’t going to help the news sit well within a sector of the fan base.
If one thing is for sure, however, it’s that the front office has long voiced their affection for Donovan. He’s been in lockstep with Arturas Karnisovas and Co. since he first arrived ahead of the 2020-21 season. And there is no question he’s helped stabilize what was otherwise a dysfunctional culture behind the scenes. But whether or not this front office acted too fast may become a bigger and bigger question if the Bulls can’t right the ship this season.
Personally, I haven’t found him to be the problem with this team (I put that mainly on roster construction by this front office), but fingers do always end up pointed at the head coach when things go south.
