Tom Thibodeau and the Chicago Bulls will part ways at some this off season. It’s basically a given, but the fact is that the Bulls either have to trade him or fire him, and the have to way out their options. The New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic have already expressed heavy interest in his coaching powers. The Pelicans want to surround a young Anthony Davis with a helpful coach, while the Magic want to rejuvenate a team that hasn’t seen the Playoffs in a while. Some scenarios that help Thibodeau into those positions would be possible trades that could help the teams pay for his salary.
According to a source, Thibodeau would rather sit out next season, then get traded to help the Chicago Bulls. According to Mark Carman of FanSided:
“Speculation about Thibodeau being traded is just that. There is a feeling amongst insiders that Thibodeau will “not allow himself to be traded” to help the Bulls and will wait to be fired even if it means waiting and missing out on the current openings.”
The Orlando Magic have already said they would pay up to $9 million for Thibodeau’s help. The Pelicans probably won’t be able to pay as much, but have much more options in terms of interested coaches. They’ve already been linked to Alvin Gentry and Jeff Van Gundy. Will Thibodeau leave? Yes. Will he have a home soon? Probably. Will it be this year? Probably not.
