The Chicago Bulls are starting a new era of basketball that no longer includes Tom Thibodeau. The franchise announced the firing of the head coach as they seek the need for a "culture of communication that builds a trust throughout this organization." Chicago has plenty of offseason decisions to make including certain players becoming free agents and the head coaching search could impact them.
According to Nick Friedell of ESPN, the Bulls are confident that the franchise can hire Fred Hoiberg from Iowa State. Sources report a mutual interest between the two sides. Hoiberg comes with 10 years of NBA playing experience, four of those being with the Bulls and he is good friends with team general manager Gar Forman. The timetable for a contract is certainly unknown. The Bulls appear to want to move quickly on the matter considering Thibodeau was just fired on Friday. There is urgency to get a new coach in considering certain players might base their free agency decision on who steps in.
The biggest change for the Bulls might not be the Thibodeau departure, but the potential exit of Jimmy Butler. The small guard is preparing to become a restricted free agent and will command a max contract. He already turned down an offer from the Bulls at the start of the season and might not hesitate to do so again if he is not handed a max deal. According to the Chicago Tribune, Butler intends to stay with the Bulls, but also wants his money. In order to make the numbers works, players like Taj Gibson, Mike Dunleavy and Kirk Hinrich could be headed elsewhere.
Interest is high in Butler. The Los Angeles Times reported the Lakers have a max deal waiting for the forward while the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics could also be potential landing spots. Butler wants to get paid. His future is somewhat out of his hands considering the Bulls will have the chance to match any offer on him, but there is a chance that Butler heads elsewhere.
If Butler goes somewhere else, who could the Bulls target as his replacement? Monta Ellis, Louis Williams and Arron Afflalo are all expected to be available in free agency. While none of them are as good as Butler, they would work well in tandem with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. The Bulls would be wise to simply give Butler his money, but if the star is unhappy with the coaching, will he demand a move?
