If the Chicago Bulls truly are ready to part ways with Thibodeau after the season as reports suggest, trading him is the likeliest scenario to happen. The two teams said to be the most interested in the fifth-year coach are the Denver Nuggets and the Orlando Magic.
The supposed tension between Thibodeau and the front office has been so heavily reported on over the last couple seasons that it almost certainly has at least some truth to it. If Chicago actually is ready to split from Thibodeau, Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler believes a trade is the most likely scenario.
"If the Chicago Bulls genuinely want to end their relationship with Tom Thibodeau, both Denver and Orlando seem to be more than interested even though the price tag to land Thibodeau may be a first round draft pick," Kyler wrote Monday. "The Bulls owe Thibodeau two more fully guaranteed years, worth an estimated $8.6 million, so firing him outright might not be in the cards, but trading him like the Celtics did with Doc Rivers is a real possibility."
If either Denver or Orlando were seriously interested in trading for Thibodeau, the first step would be to request permission from Chicago to speak to him and gauge his interest about taking over the team as head coach.
"The problem with 'trading' for Thibodeau is that unlike a player trade, all that the receiving team get is the right to negotiate a new deal with Thibodeau, not absorb his existing contract terms," Kyler wrote. "The draft pick is simply compensation to the Bulls to let Thibodeau out of his deal. That means the new team has to reach a deal with Thibodeau and meet his new contract demands, which likely ups his salary to that of his peers ($6-$7 million a season) and Thibodeau likely seeks oversight of Basketball Operations to ensure he doesn't find himself in the situation he's in with Chicago again."
Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report indicated earlier in April the Bulls were ready to call it quits with Thibodeau, whom the report claimed was already beginning to explore other coaching options, after the season. Bucher also named Orlando as a team interested in Thibodeau but suggested hiring him would only happen if Thibodeau was OK with not controlling the basketball operations, something he would likely want.
The supposed tension between Thibodeau and Chicago's front office appears to be over Thibodeau's lack of personnel control, along with the front office having issues with how hard he works the players in terms of practices and minutes on the court.
