Chicago Bulls reportedly hire Tiago Splitter as head coach

The Chicago Bulls hired former Portland Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter to take over as the new head coach of the franchise, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Why it matters: The Bulls have spent the last two months tearing down the old regime and are now betting their future on a coach known for developing young talent.

Zoom out: Splitter, who was the Blazers' interim coach last year, surprised the league and led Portland to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

Zoom in: Splitter will take over from Billy Donovan, who was popular with the front office and the players on the roster, but didn't win in Chicago.

Donovan finished 226-256 over six seasons, with just one playoff appearance.

State of play: The hire is the first major move by Bryan Graham, the new executive vice president of basketball operations.

Graham, who was hired in May, has signaled the team's plan is to rebuild after the franchise cleaned house after last year's miserable season.

That losing season netted the Bulls the No. 4 pick in this year's NBA draft, which is June 23.

Backstory: Splitter had a career playing in the NBA, bouncing from San Antonio to Atlanta to Philadelphia. After retiring, he took a job as a scout. In 2023, he was an assistant for the Houston Rockets and before joining the Blazers staff, he was the head coach of Paris Basketball in the Euroleague.

The intrigue: Splitter made the best of a young, talented roster in Portland, and Graham is hoping he can do the same with the Bulls.

Besides the No. 4 pick, the team returns Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Anfernee Simons.

They also have the No. 15 pick.

The bottom line: The Bulls are hoping Splitter can bring some magic to the United Center as the young team looks to build for the future.