The Chicago Bulls haven’t decided whether or not to part ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau after their second round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but there could be at least one team willing to discuss acquiring the coach from the Bulls.
That team, according to a report from Jordan Schultz of Huffington Post and Bleacher Report, is the Los Angeles Lakers.
The team is currently coached by Byron Scott, but with the number two overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft and a potential free agent bonanza coming up this offseason, the team could be looking for a more proven coach to take the reins.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, there could be a couple of items blocking such a move from happening. For starters, Lakers G.M. Mitch Kupchak denied that interest on Thursday, saying that he was getting ready to call Scott to assure him of his status with the team. There is also the matter of compensation, as it seems highly unlikely that the Lakers would part with enough to make it worth giving up the amount necessary to pry Thibodeau away from the Bulls.
At any rate, there are still other teams besides the Lakers that could be interested in Thibodeau’s services.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic both have coaching vacancies and could potentially offer Thibodeau some control of player personnel decisions, and with Anthony Davis serving as a building block in the Big Easy and the Magic holding some tremendous young talent, there is plenty to entice him if he wants to leave Chicago.
