The Chicago Bulls are one of three teams still actively interviewing candidates to be their next head coach, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks. With Billy Donovan and the organization parting ways at the end of the 2025-26 season, the Bulls have clearly taken things in a new direction by moving on from lead executives Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley. As a result, Chicago hired Bryson Graham to be the franchise's new executive vice president of basketball operations in May. Graham has already made aggressive moves to surround himself with trusted and knowledgeable front-office personnel, and he is determined to secure the future of the Bulls' head coach opening for years to come. That is why prominent assistants around the NBA have been involved in this search, as well as recent Portland Trail Blazers interim coach Tiago Splitter. Hiring their next head coach before the 2026 NBA Draft on June 23 has always been Graham's main goal, and as reported on ClutchPoints recently, the Bulls were expected to move into the final stage of their hiring process during the second week of June. We have officially reached this point, and the Bulls are progressing into the final wave of interviews before deciding on who their next head coach will be. Although Sean Sweeney, a leading candidate for the job, opted to join the Orlando Magic and replace Jamahl Mosley, the Bulls still have a couple of prominent names high on what is believed to be their final list, including Splitter. Whether or not Splitter would return to the Blazers has been a major question mark throughout the NBA since Portland was eliminated from the playoffs. Taking over for Chauncey Billups at the start of the 2025-26 season after he was arrested by the FBI as part of a massive federal investigation into illegal, Mafia-linked gambling operations, Splitter led the Trail Blazers to a 42-40 record. Portland made the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21 as the 7-seed in the Western Conference under Splitter's leadership, which is why it seemed like a no-brainer decision for him to become the full-time head coach. However, new Blazers owner Tom Dundon has made it his mission to cut internal costs, including at the head coaching position. Once the Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs, Dundon and Blazers officials spoke with Splitter about the possibility of returning, but the starting point in these brief contract talks was well below average, league sources told ClutchPoints. This is why Splitter's return to Portland remains a mystery, although he is still a lead candidate in their coaching search, and it's why he has become the focus of the Bulls' coaching search. Chicago is attempting to lure Splitter away from the Blazers, which makes me believe he is a top option for them as a finalist. Over the last few weeks, the Bulls have been pushing the idea that they are a better long-term position for Splitter, especially since they would be committed to him long-term compared to the Blazers, sources said. Along with Splitter being one of Chicago's top options, Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori is also said to have left a strong impression on Graham and the new Bulls leadership group. Nori has interviewed for several openings over the last two years, and he is also involved with Splitter in Portland's head coaching search. Splitter and Nori are both viewed as fresh voices in the coaching landscape, and their involvement in the Bulls' search has made them top contenders for the job.