Bulls’ Reinsdorf states that the incoming GM must support Donovan as head coach.

CHICAGO — Bulls CEO and team president Michael Reinsdorf detailed the attributes he seeks in a new head of basketball operations on Tuesday, highlighting one key stipulation — keeping Billy Donovan as head coach.

“If I interview someone and they’re not on board with Billy, they’re not on board with a Hall of Fame coach,” Reinsdorf stated during a video call on Tuesday, “they’re not on board with a person who has won championships in college and has advanced deep into the playoffs with Oklahoma City. … If Billy wants to continue as our coach and someone isn’t interested in that, then they’re likely not the right fit for us.”

Donovan is set to meet with ownership the day following Sunday’s season finale to discuss his future, Reinsdorf confirmed on Tuesday. He mentioned that he did not anticipate Donovan’s decision to take long, but he reiterated his desire for Donovan to stay in his coaching position and even intended to encourage him to take a more active role in personnel decisions.

One day after the Bulls dismissed vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley, Reinsdorf elaborated on his choice to move forward after six years with the duo in charge, addressing the fans in his initial statement about creating a “real and sustainable winner.”

“In recent months, I began evaluating our situation and I thought to myself, ‘How are we going to get out of this predicament?'” he remarked.

With a week left in the regular season and the Bulls at 29-49, Reinsdorf implemented the change. He pointed to the Bulls’ significant cap space this summer and potential lottery selections, including an additional first-round pick owed to Chicago if Portland qualifies for the playoffs, as a fresh start for a new direction.

“I just felt like now is the moment,” he said. “We attempted the other approach. It didn’t succeed. We failed, and now we’re positioned to get this right — clean slate.”

Reinsdorf confirmed an ESPN report earlier on Tuesday that the team intends to engage a search firm to collaborate with him, senior advisor John Paxson, and the current basketball operations team to identify Karnisovas’ successor. The Bulls did not utilize one when they hired Karnisovas in 2020. Reinsdorf recalled being limited to Zoom calls at the onset of the pandemic during that process and acknowledged on Tuesday that he did not meet Karnisovas in person until after he was hired.

However, Reinsdorf pledged to broaden the search this time. He outlined the characteristics he seeks in the next top decision-maker, including being process-oriented and “not hesitant to make decisive moves.” He also desires someone who keeps up with trends and is a more effective communicator, both internally and externally to fans and media, which Reinsdorf recognized was not a strength of Karnisovas.

“I want someone who excels in communication,” Reinsdorf stated. “What are we aiming to achieve? What is the strategy? Our fans deserve to understand what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Additionally, Reinsdorf has one more requirement for his prospective hire. He expressed his disapproval of tanking as a strategy on Tuesday, stating “that’s simply not who we are as an organization.”

“It’s unjust to the coach. It’s unjust to the players. It’s actually unjust to our fans,” Reinsdorf remarked. “Certainly, there are some fans, many fans who might suggest losing games intentionally, tanking, doing whatever is necessary to hopefully win the lottery. But there are numerous fans who attend the games not to witness us being defeated every game and who want to see us compete.”

However, Reinsdorf also criticized Karnisovas’ approach of pursuing a short-term winner, such as when the team acquired DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo Ball within a few months in 2021 in an effort to build a competitive team.

“Moving forward, it’s about sustainability,” Reinsdorf stated. “We want to construct this for the long haul. I don’t want to be merely good for one or two years. I want it to be that year after year, we have a chance to be competitive and win.”