By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina is swinging for the fences to secure an elite replacement for Hubert Davis, and one of those targets who fits that description is Billy Donovan.
Like legendary UNC coaches Dean Smith, Roy Williams and Frank McGuire, Donovan is in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
He built an SEC power at Florida and then spent the last decade proving he can navigate the egos and analytics of the NBA. He is under a fresh, multi‑year extension with the Chicago Bulls and ownership, and the front office has continued to back him.
Prying Donovan from Chicago would require a lucrative contract, but also an exit that might not be a surprise for the 60-year-old Donovan, with the Bulls in the midst of a rebuild.
At the trade deadline, the Bulls dealt former UNC star Coby White to the Charlotte Hornets. Also, they traded veterans Nikola Vučević and Kevin Huerter, as well as hometown favorite Ayo Dosunmu.
With a championship pedigree and a stated intolerance for “living in the middle,” that transition could lead to his exit. League and college insiders have already linked Donovan to UNC’s search. He addressed the speculation this week by deflecting and focusing on his team rather than offering a flat denial.
Even as he reiterated his commitment to the Bulls in the moment, reporting out of Chicago has acknowledged the franchise is bracing for the possibility he won’t be back. It’s a telling sign of how fluid the situation is.
Donovan left Gainesville in 2015 and immediately guided Oklahoma City to the Western Conference finals, then steered five straight playoff teams amid dramatic roster changes featuring Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Chris Paul.
His Thunder tenure ended in 2020, partly because Oklahoma City was headed for a rebuild.
In Chicago, the arc has been bumpier: one playoff berth (2022) and a run of play‑in flameouts. Even so, his steadiness led the Bulls to extend his contract twice and for the Hall of Fame to enshrine him in 2025.
The lure of Donovan, though, is what he did in Florida.
Over 19 seasons in Gainesville, Donovan went 467–186 with four Final Fours and NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007, with a core that returned intact to repeat in an era defined by early NBA exits.
Donovan won six SEC regular‑season titles and four conference tournaments, sending a steady pipeline of pros from a program he essentially built from the ground up. For a Carolina administration promising a national search and “massive swings,” his college résumé checks every box.
Timing could be an issue, with the transfer portal opening on April 7 and the Bulls’ final game not until April 12. The portal closes on April 21.
Donovan publicly praised Davis and called UNC “an incredible program,” but he framed his stance as present‑tense loyalty to his Bulls players.
Donovan is clearly a candidate to watch.
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Photo via @usabasketball
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