DHJ Quick Take: Ryan Schmidt Drawing Serious Consideration in the Bulls’ Head Coaching Search
Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Ryan Schmidt is one of four finalists for the Chicago Bulls head coaching job, and his candidacy has gained momentum as the search reaches its final stage, league sources told Dallas Hoops Journal. Chicago has not made a hire.
- Is Ryan Schmidt going to be the next Bulls head coach? He is one of four finalists and his candidacy has gained momentum as the search nears its end, but Chicago has not made a decision.
- Who are the other finalists? Micah Nori, Tiago Splitter, and Wes Unseld Jr. round out the four-man group.
- What does Schmidt bring? A defense-first, player-development reputation built across the G League, Europe, and three seasons on Quin Snyder’s Atlanta staff.
- When will the Bulls hire? Chicago is interviewing finalists and could have a coach in place soon as the NBA Draft nears.
Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Ryan Schmidt is drawing serious consideration from the Chicago Bulls in their search for a new head coach as the process to make a hire continues, league sources told Dallas Hoops Journal.
Schmidt has been among the finalists for the opening for weeks. What is newer is the sense that his candidacy has gained momentum as Chicago moves through its final round of interviews with the start of the 2026 NBA Draft looming on June 23.
Schmidt is one of four finalists for the job. Joining him on Chicago’s short list are Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter, and incumbent Bulls assistant Wes Unseld Jr. The Bulls have recently held in-person, and the job is one of just three head coaching vacancies left in the league.
What Ryan Schmidt Would Bring to Chicago
Schmidt, 42, joined Quin Snyder‘s staff in Atlanta in 2023 and has worked as a full-time Hawks assistant since, with a year running the College Park Skyhawks, the team’s G League affiliate, mixed in during 2023-24. That dual role kept him in close, daily contact with Atlanta’s younger players and tied his reputation to the two areas every candidate on Bryson Graham‘s list seems to share: player development and defense.
The defensive record is the easiest part to point to. Under Schmidt, the Skyhawks posted the best defensive season in franchise history and finished atop the G League in opponent scoring. Snyder leaned on him as one of the voices shaping Atlanta’s defensive schemes on the main roster.
His path to the NBA was not a straight line. Schmidt spent four years as an assistant with Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League club, from 2017 to 2021. From there, he went overseas and won a title and Coach of the Year honors in a single season with the London Lions, then coached the Hamilton Honey Badgers in the Canadian Elite Basketball League before Atlanta brought him in. He was born in Keizer, Oregon, and played college basketball at Hawaii and Oregon State.
Where the Chicago Bulls Search Stands
The Bulls have been looking for a head coach since Billy Donovan stepped down in April after six seasons in charge. Chicago went 31-51 in 2025-26 and missed the playoffs, and a coaching change has arrived alongside a front-office overhaul. Graham is running basketball operations now after the team moved on from Artūras Karnišovas, and the hire is his to make.
Chicago is not the only team still looking. The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers have also yet to hire, leaving three openings around the league. The Orlando Magic were in that group until earlier this month, when they filled their vacancy by hiring Sean Sweeney away from the San Antonio Spurs, where he served as associate head coach.
For Schmidt, the Bulls job would be his first NBA head-coaching role and a rapid rise for a coach who was running a G League team two years ago.
Whether Chicago chooses him or one of the other three finalists, league sources told Dallas Hoops Journal that he has put himself in a real position as the process nears its end.
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