5 Bulls Who Won't Return Next Season

5. Billy Donovan, HC

Players aren't the only type of Bulls who might not return to the team next season. After all, there's a decent chance that head coach Billy Donovan's time with the franchise is ending.

Bulls fans had high hopes for Donovan as he joined the franchise ahead of the 2020-21 season, but his teams consistently fall short of expectations. Unless the Bulls win all of their remaining games, the 2023-24 campaign will mark Donovan's third losing season in the last four years — a stretch where he's gone 154-160.

To help put things into perspective, the Bulls' 49.0% winning percentage under Donovan's guidance is tied for seventh-worst in the NBA during that span. It'd be different if they at least had some playoff success, however, the 58-year-old has only directed Chicago to one playoff appearance, which was a five-game loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022.

While Donovan isn't the sole cause of the Bulls' struggles, he doesn't exactly help the team avoid them. His lineup strategies are consistently under scrutiny and his game planning tends to stagnate when the other team has him figured out. He's far from the league's worst coach, but he also might not be that special either.

The Oklahoma City Thunder improved with each season following Donovan's departure four years ago. Hopefully, the Bulls can achieve similar success if they move on from him this summer.