Since North Carolina fired Hubert Davis, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been trending as his most likely replacement to lead the Tar Heels' well-documented basketball program. There is just one major issue with the timing of that potential hiring.
Even if Donovan is interested in the job, he would likely not be able to until the end of the season, ESPN's Dan Wetzel wrote. That would make him ineligible to sign with North Carolina until after April 12, leaving it in a bad position in the 2026 college basketball transfer portal.
“Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan's name has been floated, but even if he wanted to leave the NBA, there is little chance he would do so before the end of the season on April 12,” Wetzel wrote. “That makes his timing, portal-wise at least, even worse.”
While Donovan has no direct connection to North Carolina, the Tar Heels are one college basketball program that can afford to pay him close to the amount he is making with the Bulls. Chicago's recent struggles, currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 29-47 record, have many convinced that Donovan is destined for a college basketball return, whether on his terms or not.
Although Donovan took the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference Finals in his first year as an NBA head coach, he has not gotten past the first round since. The Bulls' recent elimination from playoff contention extends their playoff drought to four years, tying the second-longest dry spell in franchise history.
However, fans are very familiar with Donovan's long track record of success at the NCAA level. The 60-year-old left Florida with at least 20 wins in 15 of his last 16 years in Gainesville, including a pair of National Championships and seven Elite Eight runs.
