Billy Donovan steps away from Bulls, intends to keep coaching

The reset in Chicago just kept rolling, as the Bulls and Billy Donovan are going their separate ways after six seasons, the team announced.

This one comes on the heels of a front office overhaul that already saw Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley dismissed. At the time, there was some belief Donovan could stick. That changed.

Donovan held an option on his contract and, after a series of conversations with ownership, chose to move on.

“After thoughtful and extensive discussions with ownership, I have decided to step away,” Donovan said. “I believe it is in the best interest of the Bulls to allow the new leader to build out the staff as they see fit.”

That tells you where this is headed.

Chicago is starting fresh. New voice up top. New voice on the bench. A chance to reshape everything after several years stuck in the middle.

Donovan’s run had its moments, but not enough of them. The Bulls made the playoffs once and never got out of the first round. They hovered around .500 for most of his tenure and slipped to 31-51 this season, the low point of the stretch.

A rebuild has been coming. Now it feels official.

For Donovan, this is not an exit from coaching. Far from it. League sources told ESPN he plans to continue and should draw interest, just as he did from teams like the Knicks and even at the college level in recent years.

As for the Bulls, they now join the growing list of teams with major decisions ahead. Along with finding a new head coach, they are also searching for a lead basketball operations executive.

That hire will likely come first. From there, everything else follows.