Chicago signs Billy Donovan to multi-year contract extension

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Chicago Bulls secured Billy Donovan’s head coaching future after signing him to a multi-year extension announced on July 27, 2025.

Specific details regarding the length and the terms of the contract extension are yet to be confirmed but ESPN said that the agreement involved a multi-year deal that would keep him until Chicago finished their rebuilding process.

Last season, Chicago made it known that they would be undergoing a roster overhaul after breaking their 1-2 core punch of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, who were traded to the Sacramento Kings.

Donovan was rumored to leave the Bulls this offseason after the New York Knicks placed him as a potential replacement when they started their search for a coach who could fill the shoes that Tom Thibodeau left.

However, Donovan’s negotiation with New York took a toll when the Bulls didn’t allow him to proceed with the next steps and hinted to him that he would be retaining his post as the chief tactician of Chicago.

A month later, the Bulls front office finally offered Donovan a deal he can’t refuse and will stay with the Eastern Conference team to attempt for another shot at basketball glory.

Since Donovan took over the mentorship role in Chicago, he steered the squad to an NBA Playoff appearance during the 2021-2022 season.

However, that year proved to be his only fruitful campaign with the team as he failed to take the Bulls to the first round the next three years, including back-to-back painful losses in the NBA Play-In stage.

The Chicago management is yet to sign a big name this off season but kept its intact core of Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, and Josh Giddey.

The Bulls also drafted a promising two-way forward last season, Matas Buzelis, who is slowly embracing his role as one of the team’s future stars after an increased playing time after the All-Star break.

Aside from those names, Donovan will still have plenty of talent to work around including Ayo Dosunmu, Kevin Huerter, Patrick Williams, and Zach Williams.