With the Chicago Bulls out of the playoffs, a coach Tom Thibodeau trade - or firing - could be around the corner. Thibodeau and the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly have a mutual interest in each other, while the Orlando Magic are said to be willing to trade a draft pick for the fifth-year head coach.
Rumors have been heating up since January about an imminent split between Thibodeau and the Bulls, and following the team's exit Thursday night from the playoffs, that split could be coming any day now. ESPN's Marc Stein reported everything suggests the two sides are finished with each other and that Thibodeau will be gone before next season.
"All signs, at this stage, point to a rounding yes," Stein wrote Friday of a Thibodeau-Bulls divorce. "... The story is the same no matter who you check with: Thibodeau and his front-office superiors John Paxson and Gar Forman, despite their public pronouncements to the contrary, are utterly done with each other.
"As one source close to the situation puts it: 'Thibs is gone. They know it and he knows it.'"
Stein, who added no credible league source believes the Thibodeau-Bulls relationship is salvageable, also weighed in on what might be next for Thibodeau.
"It has been widely assumed for weeks by rival teams that Thibodeau would be the first major domino on this offseason's coaching carousel," Stein wrote, "given that the Orlando Magic have essentially delayed the start of their search for a new coach for a month while waiting to see if Thibodeau would become available ... and with Anthony Davis' New Orleans Pelicans also suddenly in need of a new coach after the ouster of Monty Williams.
"NBA coaching sources say there is unquestioned mutual interest between Thibodeau and the Pelicans, with Thibs naturally said to be very intrigued by the possibility of coaching Davis full-time after working with him last summer as a Team USA assistant alongside Williams under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski."
Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler reported Tuesday the Pelicans were an option. As for Orlando, Kyler said the team was essentially waiting to see if Thibodeau would become available and was willing to part with a draft pick - likely a second-rounder - for him. A report from Bleacher Report last month also linked Thibodeau to the head coach vacancy in Orlando.
One deterrent to Thibodeau signing with Orlando, though, may be his close relationship with ex-Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. Another deterrent might be Orlando's decision to give general manager Rob Hennigan an extension, which seemed to indicate Orlando wants Hennigan to call the personnel shots. The Magic may pay Thibodeau handsomely, but personnel control was supposedly a point of contention between Thibodeau and the Bulls' front office, and Thibodeau will likely want more say over the roster and the staff wherever he goes.
As for how and when Thibodeau departs Chicago, Stein aptly characterized the situation as a standoff. Given the two years remaining on Thibodeau's contract, the Bulls are certain to exhaust all trade options before biting the bullet and firing him. If the Bulls do go the trade route, it's unlikely they receive much - no team is going to give up valuable assets when it looks like the Bulls plan to get rid of him regardless.
Thibodeau would have some say in where he goes if Chicago trades him, since any team that gives up an asset for Thibodeau is essentially just compensating Chicago for letting him out of his contract. Thibodeau and the team would still have to agree on a new deal together.
For Chicago's next coach, multiple reports have pegged Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg as the team's top choice.
