With less than a month remaining until the NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls are still without a head coach.
So far, the franchise has been linked to several high-profile assistant coaches to fill their head coach vacancy.
Earlier reports confirmed that San Antonio Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss and Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter are all on Chicago’s radar.
According to The Stein Line, former Washington Wizards head coach and current Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. has emerged as a finalist for the job.
“One name among numerous interviewees we’ve been told to expect as a finalist: Incumbent Bulls assistant coach Wes Unseld Jr. Unseld has past head coaching experience in Washington,” The Stein Line reported.
Wes Unseld Jr. Underwhelmed as Wizards HC
GettyWes Unseld Jr. is an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls
Wes Unseld Jr. began his coaching career as an assistant with the Washington Wizards in 2005. Throughout his NBA coaching career, he has been an assistant under Mike Malone, Mark Jackson and others.
His lone head coaching position came in 2021, when he returned to the Wizards. Looking to lift the struggling franchise to contention, things didn’t go according to plan.
With Unseld at the helm, the Wizards went 35-47 in back-to-back seasons.
Unseld was relieved of his head coaching duties midway through his third season. At the time of his departure, Washington’s 7-36 record was the second-worst in the league.
Overall, Unseld holds a career head coaching regular-season record of 77-130 (.372). He has never recorded a winning season.
Granted, he didn’t have much to work with in Washington. Especially after the team traded away Bradley Beal.
Still, for a Bulls team looking to escape play-in purgatory, Unseld feels like a questionable head-coaching candidate.
Bulls Casting Wide Net For Head Coach Hire
Freshly minted Bulls EVP Bryson Graham is leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the franchise’s next head coach.
Nearly a dozen candidates are slated to interview to replace Billy Donovan.
Dave Bliss and Tiago Splitter are the two newest names to add to the search. Bliss is a 40-year-old assistant who started his career with the Thunder in 2010 as a video analyst. He eventually advanced to an assistant with the New York Knicks for several years before returning to the Thunder in 2018 under Billy Donovan, and he’s remained with the franchise since.
Bliss also served as one of the four head coaches for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
Given the immense success of the Thunder, it’s no surprise that Bliss has been a popular name in the hiring cycle.
Sports Illustrated reported that Bliss is the mastermind responsible for the Thunder’s defensive schemes. Under his leadership, Oklahoma City has boasted a Top 4 defensive rating in each of the past three seasons.
Splitter, who unexpectedly took over after former Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups landed in legal trouble, has also generated a ton of interest.
The former NBA veteran helped Portland finish the regular season on a high note. The team clinched its first playoff appearance since the 2020-21 season.
Bulls Considering HC Finalist With Underwhelming Track Record: Report